FEATURE internal conflict that made building completely whole relationships with colleagues and business contacts impossible . And while this may seem like the product of a bygone era , it was only 2011 .
Being too private about our lives for fear of an adverse reaction began to feel more and more uncomfortable . Between us , we decided that enough was enough ; floating in the status quo was no longer an option so we decided to take the plunge and declare openly our mission to create change . This , of course , was a terrifying prospect , we did not know what reaction we were going to receive . But , to our surprise ( although looking back it should not have been ), we discovered many others in our industry were feeling the same : struggling with a double life and unsure of where to turn . This is how Freehold began , with the first sproutings of network and community for LGBTQ + real estate professionals eventually blossoming into what it is today .
These networks can be such a power for good , whether by creating a safe and supportive place for like-minded people to meet , or by being a friendly shoulder to lean on , educating and helping to transform the immediate world around us . We all fight our own corner and often support others in theirs , but harnessing all that energy into one common goal is an unstoppable force for success , not to be underestimated .
We have come a long way , together
We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved with Freehold and how utterly transformed the real estate industry is compared to when we first started out .
Our initial challenge was finding the first firm of surveyors that would host a Freehold event . Cluttons stepped up and set a clear precedent ;
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