Experiences of LGBT Members

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are 'out' at work waste little

energy hiding aspects of their personalities, meaning they feel more confident and

progress within the business. However, many remain in the closet (Qvist, 2014). Most of

the LGBT members are able to express themselves when working. However, they fail

every job application that they submit because of their gender identity. Employers

consider gender orientation rather than working skills or capabilities, and knowledge

about the job. Terkel (2014) claimed that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender

employees were 23 percent less likely to be called back for interviews with federal

contractors when compared with similar — but less qualified — non-LGBT applicants,

according to a new study. It was clearly stated that even if LGBT applicants were more

qualified, the company or employer would still choose to accept the non-LGBT applicant.

This is a clear evidence of discrimination among applicants applying for a job, showing

that LGBT members are not accepted. LGBT members are not given the chance to

demonstrate their knowledge, skills and dedication to a certain job.

Due to discrimination in applying for a job, some LGBT members were determined

to build and start their own businesses. According to Shine (2015), Geocities, Facebook,

PayPal, and Calvin Klein were all founded or co-founded by someone from the LGBT

community. With about 1.4 million LGBT-owned businesses in US, it’s not surprising that

some are among the most successful businesses around. Over 800 of them have been

certified as LGBTEs (LGBT Enterprises), a number that is expected to rise sharply in the

coming years, as the Small Business Association launches its second outreach to the

LGBT business community. While government support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender entrepreneur lags behind that for women and minorities, a few private

organizations have become very useful resources to the community. Some of these

organizations have been dedicated to LGBT advocacy, networking, or publishing for

decades, creating communities and partnerships among LGBT business owners and their

allies. Others have sprung up to fill in the gaps.

In the Penn State Outreach Diversity Climate Survey Executive Summary (2007),

6% of survey participants designated themselves part of an underrepresented group

based on sexual orientation. Sexual orientation tied as the characteristic most frequently

mentioned regarding negative experiences. Sixty-five percent of the employees who

consider themselves members of an underrepresented group based on sexual orientation

reported that they have hidden or downplayed their sexual orientation when dealing with

a supervisor or with colleagues due to fear of negative consequences. Fifty-three percent

reported that they have felt intimidated by others because of their sexual orientation. This

survey shows that inside companies or business establishments, LGBT members are still

continued to be discriminated by their colleagues and other staffs.

Struggles of LGBT Members in Business

According to Yeremian Law, LGBT discrimination occurs when one has

experienced denied employment, fired, passed over for promotion, or denied

compensation because of sexual orientation, gender or expressed gender, or relationship

status. It also occurs when harassed in the workplace or forced to work in a hostile work

environment.
 A range of factors may influence the work and career choices of LGBT members

including: the transition from school to work; type of work; choice of sector; organizational

and workplace culture; geographical location; gender and equality politics and negotiating

identities at work. Discrimination played a part in the decisions of LGBT members whether

to stay or leave within the organization. According to Colgan, working in a negative

environment can cause lesbian, gay and bisexual workers to feel stressed; excluded;

ostracized and may result in self-censorship; problems with concentration and ultimately

a desire to leave. However, LGBT members still manage to deal with discrimination,

harassment and discriminatory attitudes by avoidance, ignoring remarks, using humor,

and by hiding their emotion.

Discrimination to LGBT members may be classified as direct or indirect. Direct

discrimination is the face-to-face abuse and harassment of an employer or colleague to

one of the LGBT applicant or co-worker. LGBT members commonly experience this as

hostility or violence. On the other hand, indirect discrimination is when an LGBT member

cannot meet the rules, policy and practice set by a business establishment.

Being an LGBT Member

LGBT members face unique challenges and struggles that they need to cope with.

According to ULifeLine, an online resource for mental health, learning to be yourself and

dealing with other people’s perception of you can be hard for anyone. This process can

be especially stressful or tough for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). In fact,

they can face unique issues when it comes to mental health. The discrimination of

LGBT members may face the pressure they feel from their family or community, can put

them at greater risk for emotional health struggles like depression, anxiety, substance
abuse and even suicide. Due to this, it will be better for LGBT members to share and

express their personal concerns for other people around them to understand their well-

being and experiences. It is also for other people to widen their understanding and

concerns for LGBT members.

Data from the 1990s and early 2000s supported this idea, at least for gay men,

with study after study showing that gay men earned less than heterosexual men.

Lesbians, however, actually earned more than straight women. In contrast to the earlier

data, however, it turns out that gay men now earn more than straight men. The average

annual earnings for gay men were $59,618 compared to $57,032 for straight men. That

said, when accounting for differences in employment status (lesbians were more likely to

have full-time work than straight women, while gay men were less likely to have full-time

work than straight men) and other differences between groups, the overall earnings

premium for both lesbians and gay men translated to roughly 9 to 10 percent (Lehmiller,

2017).

LGBT members would lose their confidence in socializing due to discrimination

that is present nowadays. They cope with it through acceptance within themselves and

toward other people. According to Drake (2013), while LGBT adults say society is more

accepting, just 19% say there is “a lot” of social acceptance today and many say they

have been victims of discrimination, such as being subject to slurs or jokes, or suffering

rejection by a family member. Social relationship is important, how you deal with your

surroundings and how they interact with you. Most of the time, LGBT members try their

best to socialize to other people in order for them to have good friendship like normal
people do. However, due to sexual orientation, most non-LGBT members choose not to

interact with LGBT members.

In a series of new studies, researchers developed and utilized a groundbreaking

new measure of LGBT inclusion, called the Global Acceptance Index, which ranked 141

countries on their relative level of social acceptance of LGBT people and rights. LGBT

acceptance refers to social beliefs about LGBT people as well as the prevailing opinion

about laws and policies that protect LGBT people from violence and discrimination and

promote their equality and well-being (Dowd, 2018). Through this recent study,

acceptance to LGBT members and interacting with them is now more evident nowadays.

If this continues, we will continue to have a gay-friendly world which promotes equality for

each and every one.