Former BP Chief: The Closet’s Pretty Lonely
Former BP Chief: The Closet’s Pretty Lonely
John Browne, former CEO of BP
The British oil company BP (formerly British Petroleum) has been in the headlines of late due to the catastrophic destruction of one of its oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and the subsequent months-long undersea gusher that uncontrollably spewed an estimate 184 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, wreaking enormous ecological damage along the coastline.
With a successful bid to seal off the gusher having finally been accomplished, the oily murk in the gulf’s waters may begin to dissipate, though the environmental consequences will linger for decades to come. But according to the openly gay former CEO of BP, another murk persists: the closeting of leading figures in industry, athletics, and other sectors of society, because successful, influential figures are still too afraid of the consequences of coming out and living honest, open lives.
Lord John Browne himself resigned from his post at the head of BP in 2007, when he was outed by a secret male partner. Browne wrote about his outing and its effects on his personal and professional life in a memoir titled Beyond Business.
Now Lord Browne has written a July 15 op-ed for U.K. newspaper The Guardian that declares "Being out is a blessing," and expresses concern for another prominent British public figure, David Laws, who resigned his post as chief secretary to the Treasury less than three weeks after assuming the role in the newly elected coalition government headed by David Cameron, a Tory politician who aggressively courted Britain’s GLBT voters during his campaign.
Laws had sought to conceal the nature of his relationship with the man from whom he rented lodging. But when it came to light that Laws had put about $61,000 in rent on the government’s tab over a period of years--money that went to his partner, James Lundie--Laws found himself both outed, and out of a job.
British government rules stipulate that expenses claimed by government employees "must not be used to meet the costs of ... leasing accommodation from a close business associate, or a partner, or a family member," with "partner" being defined as "one of a couple, whether of the same sex or of the opposite sex... who although not married to each other or civil partners are living together and treat each other as spouses."
Laws initially claimed that he had not broken the letter of the rules, saying, "Although we are living together, we did not treat each other as spouses--for example, we do not share bank accounts and indeed have separate social lives." However, in political circles, the two were known as a couple. The scandal broke on May 29.
Laws faced deep distress in his personal life, having hidden his true sexuality for so many years. "When I grew up, being gay was not accepted by most people, including many of my friends," said Laws. "So I have kept this secret from everyone I know for every day of my life. I was so determined to keep my sexuality a secret that James and I behaved as if we were just good friends."
Browne wrote in the Guardian piece that, "The recent resignation of David Laws, the former chief secretary to the Treasury, suggests that public figures continue to feel they have no choice but to cover up their sexuality.
"When I was ’outed’ on someone else’s terms it was an important and terrifying moment," added Browne. "But it also turned out to be a blessing. I was overwhelmed by the support and friendship of many people. Three years on, my life is much happier. I have a great partner and I feel much more relaxed about being open with people. I wish it could have been that way from the start."
Talented Gays Still Products of Their Times
Browne went on to explain how he had been conditioned by the times in which he came of age to feel an urgent need to conceal the truth about his sexual identity. "When I was growing up, homosexual relationships were still illegal," he wrote. "Boys would leave school cloaked in whispers; men were sent to prison in disgrace. The law changed while I was at university, but the specter of earlier intolerance cast a long shadow over my life."
That shadow brings with it lingering regrets. "Keeping secrets is not fair to anyone," wrote Browne. "It denies friends and family the chance to know who you really are. I realize now that being open about your sexuality is not about pleasing the public. It is about being honest with the people who know you best and love you the most. Looking back, I wish I could have been more truthful with those closest to me, especially to my mother."
Browne went on to express concern that homophobia’s damaging effects would continue. "Despite the exemplary diversity policies in many companies, my sense is that the business world remains more intolerant of open homosexuality than other walks of life such as the professions, the media and the arts," he observed. "And it is extraordinary how few openly gay sports stars there are.
"Even in today’s more tolerant age, there are many lonely people out there still afraid to reveal who they really are for fear of marginalization and abuse," Browne added. "Invidious homophobia is much rarer now, but fear of discrimination continues to hold gay people back."
In a BBC interview to promote his memoir, Browne spoke to how times had changed, saying that now, "When I describe the situation to someone much younger than me, they look at me with amazement. but I think they can’t possibly understand the fear that was engendered in people’s hearts about being gay."
Asked "how painful" it had been to keep the truth about himself from being know, Browne told the interviewer, "Very, very much indeed... It is not something I would recommend for anybody in today’s 21st century."
The BP oil spill catastrophe prompted some to wonder whether the man who succeeded Browne as head of the company did as good a job dealing with the crisis as Browne would have done, had Browne not felt compelled to resign as a result of being outed as a gay man. A Man 19 Examinerarticle cited the book The G Quotient by Kirk Snyder, which suggests that gay business leaders make more effective managers.
The article also noted that although about half of the Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partnership benefits to their gay and lesbian employees, there has only been one instance in which a Fortune 500 executive publicly acknowledged being gay or lesbian--Proctor & Gamble’s former President of Global Business, Susan Arnold, who left the company last year.
"Still, fear of retribution, either by fellow employees or company stockholders; keep a number of individuals from being open about their sexuality," the article stated. Even so, "the next generation of openly gay business professionals refuses to live their lives in the closet," observed the article. "Capable, qualified individuals are opting to rely on their merits and let their sexuality not be a defining factor in their qualifications as an upper level executive.
With a successful bid to seal off the gusher having finally been accomplished, the oily murk in the gulf’s waters may begin to dissipate, though the environmental consequences will linger for decades to come. But according to the openly gay former CEO of BP, another murk persists: the closeting of leading figures in industry, athletics, and other sectors of society, because successful, influential figures are still too afraid of the consequences of coming out and living honest, open lives.
Lord John Browne himself resigned from his post at the head of BP in 2007, when he was outed by a secret male partner. Browne wrote about his outing and its effects on his personal and professional life in a memoir titled Beyond Business.
Now Lord Browne has written a July 15 op-ed for U.K. newspaper The Guardian that declares "Being out is a blessing," and expresses concern for another prominent British public figure, David Laws, who resigned his post as chief secretary to the Treasury less than three weeks after assuming the role in the newly elected coalition government headed by David Cameron, a Tory politician who aggressively courted Britain’s GLBT voters during his campaign.
Laws had sought to conceal the nature of his relationship with the man from whom he rented lodging. But when it came to light that Laws had put about $61,000 in rent on the government’s tab over a period of years--money that went to his partner, James Lundie--Laws found himself both outed, and out of a job.
British government rules stipulate that expenses claimed by government employees "must not be used to meet the costs of ... leasing accommodation from a close business associate, or a partner, or a family member," with "partner" being defined as "one of a couple, whether of the same sex or of the opposite sex... who although not married to each other or civil partners are living together and treat each other as spouses."
Laws initially claimed that he had not broken the letter of the rules, saying, "Although we are living together, we did not treat each other as spouses--for example, we do not share bank accounts and indeed have separate social lives." However, in political circles, the two were known as a couple. The scandal broke on May 29.
Laws faced deep distress in his personal life, having hidden his true sexuality for so many years. "When I grew up, being gay was not accepted by most people, including many of my friends," said Laws. "So I have kept this secret from everyone I know for every day of my life. I was so determined to keep my sexuality a secret that James and I behaved as if we were just good friends."
Browne wrote in the Guardian piece that, "The recent resignation of David Laws, the former chief secretary to the Treasury, suggests that public figures continue to feel they have no choice but to cover up their sexuality.
"When I was ’outed’ on someone else’s terms it was an important and terrifying moment," added Browne. "But it also turned out to be a blessing. I was overwhelmed by the support and friendship of many people. Three years on, my life is much happier. I have a great partner and I feel much more relaxed about being open with people. I wish it could have been that way from the start."
Talented Gays Still Products of Their Times
Browne went on to explain how he had been conditioned by the times in which he came of age to feel an urgent need to conceal the truth about his sexual identity. "When I was growing up, homosexual relationships were still illegal," he wrote. "Boys would leave school cloaked in whispers; men were sent to prison in disgrace. The law changed while I was at university, but the specter of earlier intolerance cast a long shadow over my life."
That shadow brings with it lingering regrets. "Keeping secrets is not fair to anyone," wrote Browne. "It denies friends and family the chance to know who you really are. I realize now that being open about your sexuality is not about pleasing the public. It is about being honest with the people who know you best and love you the most. Looking back, I wish I could have been more truthful with those closest to me, especially to my mother."
Browne went on to express concern that homophobia’s damaging effects would continue. "Despite the exemplary diversity policies in many companies, my sense is that the business world remains more intolerant of open homosexuality than other walks of life such as the professions, the media and the arts," he observed. "And it is extraordinary how few openly gay sports stars there are.
"Even in today’s more tolerant age, there are many lonely people out there still afraid to reveal who they really are for fear of marginalization and abuse," Browne added. "Invidious homophobia is much rarer now, but fear of discrimination continues to hold gay people back."
In a BBC interview to promote his memoir, Browne spoke to how times had changed, saying that now, "When I describe the situation to someone much younger than me, they look at me with amazement. but I think they can’t possibly understand the fear that was engendered in people’s hearts about being gay."
Asked "how painful" it had been to keep the truth about himself from being know, Browne told the interviewer, "Very, very much indeed... It is not something I would recommend for anybody in today’s 21st century."
The BP oil spill catastrophe prompted some to wonder whether the man who succeeded Browne as head of the company did as good a job dealing with the crisis as Browne would have done, had Browne not felt compelled to resign as a result of being outed as a gay man. A Man 19 Examinerarticle cited the book The G Quotient by Kirk Snyder, which suggests that gay business leaders make more effective managers.
The article also noted that although about half of the Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partnership benefits to their gay and lesbian employees, there has only been one instance in which a Fortune 500 executive publicly acknowledged being gay or lesbian--Proctor & Gamble’s former President of Global Business, Susan Arnold, who left the company last year.
"Still, fear of retribution, either by fellow employees or company stockholders; keep a number of individuals from being open about their sexuality," the article stated. Even so, "the next generation of openly gay business professionals refuses to live their lives in the closet," observed the article. "Capable, qualified individuals are opting to rely on their merits and let their sexuality not be a defining factor in their qualifications as an upper level executive.
Kilian Melloy reviews media, conducts interviews, and writes commentary for EDGEBoston, where he also serves as Assistant Arts Editor.
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