Creating a Welcoming Environment for LGBT Talent -- and Their Allies

Even as Americans increasingly support same-sex marriage -- according to the Pew Research Center, 55 percent of Americans are in favor and 37 percent are against it, a complete flip from 15 years ago -- a significant number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people still find the workplace to be less than welcoming. A recent study by the Center for Talent Innovation found that 46 percent of LGBT employees in the U.S. are not out in their professional lives.

And it’s no surprise that LGBT people fear to come out in their professional lives. Throughout history, LGBT individuals have had limited options to be themselves and be accepted by society and their peers. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, LGBT individuals experienced social pressure to “convert” their sexual orientation or gender identity to become heterosexual. It was very common for LGBT individuals to be forced or driven into conversion therapy, which took the form of electroshock therapy, aversion therapy, or even castration or lobotomy.

With the rise of the modern gay-rights movement after the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the demand to convert shifted toward the demand to pass. That shift was perhaps best reflected in the U.S. military, which moved from a “conversion” policy deeming “homosexuality incompatible with military service” to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 1993. In other words, LGBT people were forced to remain in the closet. Passing differs from conversion because it is about hiding one’s status, not changing it.

As social and organizational cultures evolved, the demand to pass shifted toward a demand to cover, which asks not that LGBT individuals stay closeted, but that they downplay their known orientation or gender identity so that others not feel discomfited by it. (Covering differs from passing because it is about muting an acknowledged identity.) Gay individuals were told that they could be gay and even be open about their sexual orientation as long as they did not “flaunt.” For instance, Robin Shahar was terminated from her job as a staff attorney at the Georgia Attorney General’s office in 1991. Her employer, Michael Bowers, defended his action by noting that he had not fired her because she was gay or because she said she was gay. He fired her because she had participated in a public same-sex commitment ceremony. The court of appeals upheld her termination and the Supreme Court denied review in 1998.

The history of demands forced upon LGBT individuals must be understood and acknowledged, especially by corporations committed to diversity and inclusion. Employers need to understand that a fully inclusive workplace permits individuals to live authentically without imposing conversion, passing, or covering demands upon them based on their LGBT identity.

What this means in practice is working to build an inclusive culture where LGBT employees feel comfortable being who they are. One way is for employers to focus on allies, the non-LGBT employees who support and advocate for LGBT individuals both inside and outside the workplace.

Allies often need support to stand up to prejudice. That’s why BNY Mellon’s Ally Program was founded. “Its purpose,” says Scott Meoni-Ridenour, Head of Global Asset Servicing Compliance and Americas Region Chair of PRISM, BNY Mellon’s LGBT employee resource group, “is to engage LGBT allies in actively standing by our LGBT colleagues and to tap into the power of being an out and proud ally. Through our Ally Program, our colleagues shared moving experiences, including parents who value the help of allies in combatting bullying of their LGBT or transgender children and relatives. We heard stories of allies helping each other cope with the loss of gay siblings and friends.”

Corporations have extraordinary incentives -- and opportunities -- to advance LGBT talent. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of ally respondents say that all else being equal, they are more likely to accept a job at a company that is supportive of LGBT employees. Some 71 percent of LGBT respondents and 82 percent of allies in our study say they are more likely to purchase from a company that supports LGBT equality. And when it comes to the innovation imperative, teams whose members include LGBT employees are considerably more likely to be able to understand and unlock the $3.7 trillion global LGBT market.

As we celebrate LGBT History Month, corporations must avoid repeating history and work towards making the workplace a welcome environment for everyone.