Being Gay in Business

[Forumatjub]

I am a college students and I have no problem telling someone who asks that I'm gay.

But I've always wondered if coming out in more public ways (like joining the gay club in school) would make things more difficult when I attempt to pursue a high level career. I'm on my way to earning my MBA and so I was wondering...

Would being more open make the corporate ladder harder to climb?

 

[Lube]

Are you willing to sacrifice who you are for some extra money?

It depends on the industry and your location of course, but nowadays in Western countries it's not as big a deal as you think--particularly if you're young.

 

[giorgiobaby]

depends on what field you are going into

 

[metta]

depends on what field you are going into

Exactly! I'm self employed. It does not matter to me if people know or not. Some do and some don't.

 

[Forumatjub]

depends on what field you are going into

I'll be going into Finance.

 

[hotdog1846]

Depends on where you are, of course.

Many Fortune 500 companies have "employee resource groups", which are company-sponsored (and funded) groups of employees that are based on diversity issues. The ERGs are intended to give a sense of community and relieve isolation that some minority groups can experience. One such group is the Pride group (along with the black group, the disability group, the women's group, the Hispanic group, etc.)

At my company, the leaders of the Pride group are out, loud, and proud -- and successful. One (very successful man) has represented the company to Out And Equal several times and interfaces with various industry HR organizations on behalf of my company.

Aside from the Pride group, I've known several totally out people who are at the top of the ladder. It's not easy, because people do implicitly discriminate, but generally companies are interested in who has the best skills -- so, if you have great skills and can help them make a lot of money, you'll be sought after whether you're gay or not.

As for myself, I'm a private person by nature, and I want people to know me for the quality of my work and not my sexual orientation, so I'm not out at work, but people have been perceiving me as gay my whole life (and they're right) and I've never been discriminated against ... or, if I have, it's been so subtle that I haven't noticed. So far, things have worked out well for me regardless. *knock on wood*

 

[Forumatjub]

Depends on where you are, of course.

Many Fortune 500 companies have "employee resource groups", which are company-sponsored (and funded) groups of employees that are based on diversity issues. The ERGs are intended to give a sense of community and relieve isolation that some minority groups can experience. One such group is the Pride group (along with the black group, the disability group, the women's group, the Hispanic group, etc.)

At my company, the leaders of the Pride group are out, loud, and proud -- and successful. One (very successful man) has represented the company to Out And Equal several times and interfaces with various industry HR organizations on behalf of my company.

Aside from the Pride group, I've known several totally out people who are at the top of the ladder. It's not easy, because people do implicitly discriminate, but generally companies are interested in who has the best skills -- so, if you have great skills and can help them make a lot of money, you'll be sought after whether you're gay or not.

As for myself, I'm a private person by nature, and I want people to know me for the quality of my work and not my sexual orientation, so I'm not out at work, but people have been perceiving me as gay my whole life (and they're right) and I've never been discriminated against ... or, if I have, it's been so subtle that I haven't noticed. So far, things have worked out well for me regardless. *knock on wood*

Much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Beachguyj]

Many Corporations have good ole boy mentality and want you to have a wife and family. Many deals are made in straight strip clubs.

 

[hotdog1846]

Much appreciated! Thanks!

You're welcome.

Finance can be a bit of an old-boys club, which might be a factor in smaller cities or anywhere in the Bible Belt, but in the big cities and on the coasts, which are the real power seats of Finance, I don't think being openly gay would be an issue at all.

If you make a personal decision to be totally out, loud and proud in college, you could take a leadership position in the gay student club and develop leadership skills and then claim those leadership skills on your resume. The leadership skills will help put you ahead regardless of whether you're gay or not.

BTW, one of the campuses of the University of Colorado just elected an openly gay student body president AND vice president. In the same election. These are the leaders of tomorrow.

 

[hotdog1846]

Many Corporations have good ole boy mentality and want you to have a wife and family. Many deals are made in straight strip clubs.

That's mostly a thing of the past. Most Fortune 500's have strict rules against things like strip clubs nowadays. At my company, you'd get fired for conducting business in such a manner.

Smaller companies may not, of course, but if they do something that's derogatory to women, etc they'll likely get slapped with a "hostile work environment" lawsuit.

And, ask yourself -- would you want to work for a company that does things in a sketchy manner anyway?

 

[hotdog1846]

BTW, the students of the CU Boulder Campus have elected several openly gay students as Student Union Co-Executives over the last few decades (and several more closeted ones! and yes, I know for certain and no, I was not one of them).

And more and more localities are electing openly gay mayors, councilpersons, and trustees. And yes, I know for certain.

Yeah ... it was the CU Colorado Springs campus that just elected two openly gay student body reps in the same election. Acceptance is even coming to Colorado Springs (home of Focus on the Family)!

 

[LilBit]

I have some friends who always kept to versions of their CV: a gay one and a non-gay one. In the gay one, they included all fo their activities, leadership roles, etc., including their involvement in LGBTIQ organizations. In their non-gay CV, they omitted anything that would reveal their sexual identity. I also had a friend whose dissertation director (a lesbian, and the woman who's now directing my dissertation) told him to change his dissertation title because it was too gay, and he'd have trouble on the job market.

And these are academic jobs I'm talking about. If academia is still this homophobic, I can't imagine the business world being very friendly.

 

[Lube]

I have some friends who always kept to versions of their CV: a gay one and a non-gay one. In the gay one, they included all fo their activities, leadership roles, etc., including their involvement in LGBTIQ organizations. In their non-gay CV, they omitted anything that would reveal their sexual identity. I also had a friend whose dissertation director (a lesbian, and the woman who's now directing my dissertation) told him to change his dissertation title because it was too gay, and he'd have trouble on the job market.

And these are academic jobs I'm talking about. If academia is still this homophobic, I can't imagine the business world being very friendly.

Really? I find that very hard to believe. Maybe it's just the South. There are *many* openly gay faculty at several universities nearby, and my ex-wife's professor colleagues at her university were out and open, with no hint of a problem.

 

[Lube]

<rant on>
You know, the more I think about it, being young and being closeted is just being a chicken-shit nowadays.

In the past, GLBT folks were closeted because it was illegal--you could get fired or even jailed for being gay. Or killed. That's a legitimate reason to be closeted.

But nowadays to say, "Well, it'll make my corporate climb a little harder"--well, that's just chicken shit. Everyone's corporate climb is hard. If you're black or hispanic or Jewish or Muslim or any of a million other things (which most of us are!), you're going to find assholes to discriminate against you.

Most people can't run away from this discrimination (because of skin color or language accent, for example) but gay folks can (or at least can try--it's usually pretty easy to tell you're gay by what *don't* talk about at work).

So unless you're in an area where you can get killed or jailed for being gay, man up and be out and PROUD!
</rant off>

 

[Ekim23]

I wouldnt say it for a job interview LOOOL

But besids that no problem... I guess... like others said B4 of course it depends on the area and industry u want to work in

 

[Lube]

Should President Obama have tried to hide the fact that he was black?

Or is it a mark of strength, dignity, and pride (and a credit to the American people) that he was elected as the proud (black) man that he is?

 

[Swellegant]

Lube echos my thinking exactly. Nobody worth worrying about is going to get his or her knickers in a twist because you're a 'mo. And no matter who or what you are, someone is going to try and keep you down: if they weren't coming after you for being gay, they'd find some other excuse. Haters hate, it's what they do.

However, though I have never worked in Finance myself, I do know a lot of gay men who do... and they're pretty low-key personalities. But so are the straights. It's that kind of environment. You're not going to hang a rainbow flag over your cubicle any more than another guy is going to hang a Knights of Columbus banner over his. Your personality and personal life are irrelevant to your ability to do your job and make the money come in, and will most likely be treated as a secondary or even tertiary consideration.

And regarding your CV, a resume shouldn't be written on stone, one size does not fit all. You should be tailoring it for each different company to which you send it. And to do that, you need to do some preliminary research on those companies, first, to know what they want.

In so doing, you should find out if they lean left on social issues or right. If you're applying to a company with a deeply conservative bent, you leave the LGBTQ stuff off (or refrain from applying); if you're applying to a company that sponsors local community events and makes a big deal of diversity and EOE, you put it on.

Good luck!

 

[G-Lexington]

To take but one example, a gay-and-partnered friend of mine works for what is considered to be a very conservative company. Many feel it's stuck in the 50s - "casual day" means you don't need to wear a jacket with your tie, and the CEO probably wishes he could get the men to wear hats again. But my friend is out. He may not do the rainbow flag thing, but as Swell pointed out, it has less to do with homophobia and more to do with "we're here to work". Most straight guys don't have pictures of their wives on the desks, either. But it's known he's gay, he brings his partner to company events, and nobody bats an eye.

The general consensus seems to be "if you get the job done, you can fuck unicorns for all we care".

Lex

 

[Ekim23]

Well i didnt say Hide it...

I just think it "could" be an issue against a recruiter, just like being black, muslim, or even a woman...

That is way I wouldnt say it right in his face.

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

Sure hasn't hurt me.

And no... I didn't always work in Porn. Even when working in a corporate atmosphere, I was out.

Don't make a big deal about who you are... and it won't be a big deal. Sucks that we have to have that extra level of behaviour added to us, but life isn't fair.