Matt Bush Software Engineer | Facebook, Out for Undergrad, Blackboard

What do you do and what have you done in the past, professionally?

Currently I’m taking a break from formal employment to work on some software projects and to learn new languages and frameworks. Previously I worked at Facebook for three and a half years as a software engineer. I mostly worked on the Facebook Pages team doing front-end development in PHP and JavaScript, and I worked out of both the Menlo Park and New York City offices.

Also, for the past few years I have volunteered for Out for Undergrad (O4U), a nonprofit that organizes career-building conferences for select LGBTQ undergrads, I was on the team that ran O4U’s technology conference, which Facebook sponsors.

Has your sexuality initially shaped your career decision, or the companies you have chosen to work for? If so, how?

I want to be at a workplace where I can be out as a gay man. I think that’s generally true of most software companies in the Bay Area, but especially so at Facebook. While I was an intern at Facebook, I attended an LGBTQ employee mixer the week before SF Pride, and joined the email list for LGBTQ employees. When I decided to work at Facebook full time after graduation, it was reassuring to know that there was a strong, cohesive community of LGBTQ employees there. During the rest of my time there that proved to be especially true as Facebook advocated for LGBTQ rights, and adjusted its products to be more inclusive of LGBTQ people.

When and how did you open up to your colleagues and company about your sexuality?

Since Out for Undergrad was a big time commitment for a few months out of the year, I often mentioned it to my teammates at work. Also, I got Facebook’s New York office to march in New York City’s Pride March so that was how most of that office knows I’m gay. And sometimes when a lunch conversation with coworkers turned to people’s dating life or favorite bars, I got to bring up my sexual orientation.

What would make your work environment, or the tech industry as a whole more LGBTQ+ friendly?

As companies grow, they should make sure to build an inclusive culture for everyone. Even for people who are accepting of LGBTQ people and other forms of diversity, this requires effort, mindfulness, and humility to pull off. Don’t do things that perpetuate heterosexism, like having booth babes at career fairs. Make sure company events can be enjoyed by people who don’t drink and people with families.

Do things to acknowledge the socioeconomic privilege of the software industry and help others in need, such as matching donations to nonprofits, and supporting employee volunteer programs.

Also, companies should be sensitive to the needs of LGBTQ people when building their products, for example, a social media company providing more nuanced options than just male/female for gender in people’s profiles. That will both make their products more useful for LGBTQ people and will make the company more attractive to prospective LGBTQ employees.

What advice would you give to queer employees entering the tech industry or academia?

If you’re at an undergrad, apply to Out for Undergrad’s technology conference at http://www.outforundergrad.org/. If you’re at a large company, participate in your LGBTQ employee group and participate in Out for Undergrad as a sponsor! If you’re at a startup, help get your company’s LGBTQ employee group off the ground. It’s especially important to identify which company executives will be allies, so that your group can have institutional support (for instance, a dedicated budget to LGBTQ events). Meet LGBTQ people in other companies to share best practices.

Reach out to ariela@queerpeopleoftech.com with feedback, contributor suggestions, or to say hi ☺