You Might Like
LGBTI: The other ‘invisible minority’ in the workplace
The other ‘invisible minority’. Though generally used in reference to Native Americans, the term could just as easily be applied to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community – especially when it comes to measuring their numbers in the workplace.
Though only 3.5% of workers identify as LGBT, members of the LGBT community are typically high achievers within the US labor force. So, while a small fraction of this segment of the population is ‘out’ in the workplace, still more remain ‘closeted’ at work for a number of reasons – discrimination being chief among them.
Barriers to acceptance and advancement
Despite local, state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on sex in the workplace, LGBT workers generally report that they face high rates of employment discrimination and unfair and unequal conditions.
In 2013, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received more than 27,000 complaints of sex-based discrimination in the workplace. In the 2008 General Social Survey conducted by NORC (National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago, lesbian, gay and bisexual workers reported high rates of discrimination on the job and 35% reported being harassed at work. Sixteen percent indicated that they had lost a job due to their sexual orientation.
• Surveys of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) LGBT workers uncovered shockingly high rates of sexual orientation discrimination. Seventy-five percent to 82% of API LGBT workers reported that they had been discriminated against at work because of their sexual orientation.
• Surveys of Black LGBT workers indicate that 4 in 10 have experienced employment discrimination.
• Transgender workers of color reported higher rates of job loss and employment discrimination compared to white transgender workers.
• Transgender women further report higher rates of employment discrimination compared to transgender men.
• 26% of transgender workers report losing a job because of their gender identity or expression, with transgender women reporting even higher rates of 36%.
• More than half of transgender women indicated they had been denied a job because they were transgender; and 29% had been denied a promotion.
Two recent events may change all of that
The US Supreme Court
A landmark ruling
With the June 26, 2015 US Supreme Court ruling upholding marriage equality for all – specifically same-sex couples – a sea of rainbow-colored pride swept across the nation.
After years of political debate and decades of waiting, members of the LGBT community seized what many consider a ‘civil rights’ victory – adding to the fervor of nationwide celebrations marking Pride Month.
In the days that followed, same-sex couples rushed to the altar, full of pride over the court ruling and happy to finally be able to enjoy the legal benefits of being officially recognized as a couple by the legal system: employer-sponsored insurance coverage nationwide as well as tax benefits afforded to married couples.
Tim Cook
Coming out in corporate America
Openly gay CEOs are a rarity in the American business world, even though more companies are publicly expressing their support for gay rights and inclusive workplaces. The majority of LGBT workers in the country hide their sexual identity at work and more than a third feel compelled to lie about their personal lives while at the office.
Tim Cook stepped into the role of Apple CEO in August 2011. Three years later, he publicly acknowledged that he was gay – making him the only CEO of a Fortune 500 company to announce his homosexuality while at the helm of a major company.
‘I don’t consider myself an activist,’ he said in a Bloomberg Businessweek column, ‘but I realize how much I’ve benefited from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.’
Cook’s bold and courageous move opened the door for more LGBT workers to be their true selves in the workplace, and should encourage more corporations and businesses to embrace diversity and inclusion.
LGBT in the workplace
Despite the challenges of accurately counting LGBT members in the workforce, estimates and statistics offer positive news about their employment.
• The unemployment rate for the LGBT community stands at 4.9%, which is largely attributable to their high level of educational attainment.
• 46% of LGBT workers have a bachelor’s degree or higher, in comparison to 32% of the overall labor force.
• LGBT workers are generally employed in sectors that reflect their educational attainment: Professional and Business Services, Information Technology and Education.
• The geographic dispersion of LGBT workers is much broader than stereotypes imply. While it is generally assumed that LGBT workers are concentrated in larger metropolitan areas of liberal leaning states, the data show that the LGBT community comprise at least 3% of the population in 34 states in the US.
With the United States Supreme Court holding that same-sex marriage should be afforded the same protections as heterosexual marriage and more workplace protections in place to address discrimination, more workers may proudly ‘come out’ in corporations and businesses across the country.
This article first appeared in the July 2015 issue of Diversity Job Index and Report – published by Professional Diversity Network, Inc.
The post LGBTI: The other ‘invisible minority’ in the workplace appeared first on Gay Star News.
GSN Contributor
www.gaystarnews.com/article/lgbti-the-other-invisible-minority-in-the-workplace/
You Might Like
