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HE may be one of Australia鈥檚 most prominent chief executives today, but Michael Ebeid still remembers a time when the odds seemed to be against him.

鈥淲hen I was in my early 20s, I don鈥檛 recall ever knowing or hearing about an openly-gay CEO,鈥� he said.

[showads聽ad=MREC]鈥淲hen I told people I was gay, they used to say, 鈥榳ell, you know you probably won鈥檛 go far in your career鈥�.

鈥淚t was quite upsetting in a way.鈥�

It was during his third year at IBM in the late 1980s that Ebeid first came out in the workplace. After working his way up the corporate ladder, he eventually took up senior positions with Optus and ABC before being appointed managing director of SBS in 2011. He partly credits his successful career to that moment when he first came out.

鈥淚t was so much easier at work after that,鈥� Ebeid told the 17c起草社区.

鈥淚 was constantly lying, and that really used to upset me because you鈥檇 turn up to work on a Monday morning and you鈥檇 be creating all these stories about who you went out with… I think that鈥檚 when I realised you just can鈥檛 go on like that.

鈥淲hen I changed from IBM to Optus (in the mid-90s) I made the decision that I would be out and comfortable from day one and that made a big difference as well.

鈥淛ust being able to be yourself means you can then focus on what really matters in life and put all your energies into your ideas, your thoughts, your initiatives at work, and not waste time and energy worrying about what other people think [and] whether you鈥檒l feel included or excluded in social settings and work environments.鈥�

Today, Ebeid is at a peak in his career. Since taking over the helm at SBS, he has expanded its radio arm to 74 languages, launching SBS On Demand, and launched NITV 鈥� the first national TV channel catered to and produced by Indigenous Australians. The profile of Eurovision has also skyrocketed under Ebeid鈥檚 tenure, and he was pivotal in returning the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade to free-to-air TV for the first time in 12 years.

鈥淥ne of the things that I鈥檓 really proud of is that we did鈥檛 just show the celebratory glitz and glam and sequins of Mardi Gras,” he said.

“We did a whole lot of stories and documentaries around the parade to talk about the gay community, what鈥檚 happening with people with depression, what鈥檚 happening with youth services.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what makes up the entire broader gay community and I wanted to showcase that in a really positive light to broader Australia.鈥�

Last year, the listed Ebeid as one of Australia鈥檚 75 most powerful people on TV.

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of what SBS has been able to do in the last four years,鈥� Ebeid said.

鈥淭he organisation鈥檚 gone from being a small, sleepy public broadcaster to a bit of an edgy, fun broadcaster that鈥檚 really doing stuff about inspiring people to think about the world differently.鈥�

Ebeid believes having more openly-gay chief executives in Australia provided positive role models for younger LGBTI people starting their careers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that there are lots of senior positions in corporate Australia that people can aspire to,鈥� he said.

鈥淭here used to be a joke years ago when I was in my 20s that all gay guys were either hairdressers, worked in retail or had unskilled roles, which is just nonsense, complete nonsense.

鈥淣ow you鈥檝e got loads of very senior CEOs running major Australian brands 鈥� really big brands like Qantas, SBS 鈥� who are all out and proud and also supporting marriage equality because they know that it does affect people at work.鈥�

The topic of marriage equality was a personal one for Ebeid, who has been with his partner Roland for 11 years.

鈥淚 would hope that we could get married someday,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e talked about it, about going overseas and doing it. But we decided not to do that and that there鈥檇 be no point because when you come back home, it鈥檚 not recognised.

鈥淪o we want to wait for the law to change here and I鈥檓 very hopeful that our parliament will do it eventually.鈥�

While coming out at work seemed to be smooth, back home, it was a bit of a challenge.

The son of Egyptian immigrants, Ebeid said his cultural background held him back until he was about 36. In addition, there was a time in his early 20s when he was engaged to be married to a girl.

鈥淚 thought I was doing the right thing by my family and parents and all that sort of stuff and then realised that [I was] not,鈥� he said.

鈥�(But) I have a cultural gap to deal with, an age gap to deal with, and a religious gap to deal with because mum and dad are very religious 鈥� mum goes to church every Sunday.

“Having those three things working against you is always hard, but once I did tell them, it was an incredible weight off my shoulders.鈥�

In Arabic-speaking cultures, Ebeid said there was a prevalent stigma around homosexuality 鈥� regardless if they were Christian or Muslim.

鈥淔or some families, all they know is that in their country it鈥檚 either punishable by death or you get imprisoned,鈥� he said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 certainly a massive gay Arabic community in Australia, both boys and girls… But the sad reality is that some families just won鈥檛 accept it and some will always have an issue with it.

鈥淔amily is kind of everything. You鈥檙e constantly surrounded by them and the whole family unit is reinforced as a very important thing in your life. To lose that is a big fear.鈥�

While Ebeid said he was a 鈥渂ig believer in being true to yourself鈥�, he acknowledged that everyone鈥檚 coming out journey was unique 鈥� no matter what聽cultural background they come from.

鈥淲ith every generation it鈥檚 becoming easier (but) you鈥檝e got to be ready at your own time, and to know you鈥檝e got support around you as well is really important,鈥� he said.

Ebeid said his parents experienced the 鈥渦sual sad stage of feeling bad about not having grandkids鈥�, but they eventually came around. He also has a good relationship with his older brother and four nephews. However, he admits that some in his extended family still struggle with it and don鈥檛 talk about it.

鈥淏ut people who are close to me who matter are incredibly supportive,鈥� he said.

His parents鈥� relationship with Roland is testament to this.

鈥淚鈥檓 really fortunate that my mum now, being the good ethnic woman that she is, is all about food and cooking,鈥� Ebeid joked.

鈥淚f my partner doesn鈥檛 go round to her house on a weekend, she鈥檒l make sure she sends me off with a doggy-bag for him with all his favourite dishes.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when you know that your parents are supportive 鈥� when your mum cooks for your boyfriend or partner, that鈥檚 kind of pretty cool.鈥�

[PHOTOS: Frank Farrugia, ]

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**This article was first published in the September聽edition of the 17c起草社区, which is . To obtain a physical copy, to find out where you can grab one in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and select regional/coastal areas.

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