53% of Gay Men are Closeted at Work
A report from HRC reveals that 53% of LGBT employees are closeted at work. Maybe that’s because only 14 states and the District of Columbia have a ban on workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. (Four more states have protections on sexual orientation only.)
“While LGBT-inclusive corporate policies are becoming the norm, the fact is that LGBT workers still face a national patchwork of legal protections, leaving many to hide who they are for fear of discrimination in the workplace and in their communities,” says HRC’s Deena Fidas. ”Employees are getting married without telling their coworkers for fear of losing social connections, or they’re not transitioning even though they know they need to for fear of losing their jobs.”
Surveying more than 800 LGBT workers, Cost of the Closet also found that:
- More than 80% of non-LGBT workers report that conversations about social lives, relationships and dating come up weekly and often daily and 81 percent feel that LGBT people “should not have to hide who they are at work,” however less than half would feel comfortable hearing an LGBT coworker talk about dating.
- One in four LGBT employees report hearing negative comments such as “that’s so gay” while at work;
- One-fifth of LGBT workers report looking for a job specifically because the environment wasn’t accepting of LGBT identities, and close to one in 10 successfully left a job for the same reasons.
HRC is hoping Congress will pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to extend sexual-orientation and gender- identity protection in all 50 states.
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