Twenty years ago, less than 5 percent of American companies had policies prohibiting discrimination based on an employee's sexual orientation. Mission driven to change those statistics for LGBT employees, Selisse Berry, founder and CEO of Out and Equal Workplace Advocates, has worked with over 500 multinational companies to create LGBT-inclusive work environments for the past 20 years. These collaborative partnerships led and contributed to a markedly improved status quo: today, 91 percent of American companies include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies.
Most millennial employees can hardly imagine working for a company or firm that does not have LGBT inclusive, non-discrimination policies and practices �" these are expected of a worthy employer. The inclusion of such policies and practices is a notable measure of how far we have progressed to achieve LGBT workplace equality, and the important work ahead to continue breaking through and beyond the status quo.
While many large U.S-based companies are positively leading change by enacting LGBT inclusive policies and practices among their increasingly global workforces, 52 percent of the United States' LGBT population lives in states that do not prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity �" the clearest indication for the necessity of passage of the Equality Act.
Furthermore, as our nation grows in racial and ethnic diversity, the need for employment non-discrimination and workplace inclusion policies becomes particularly urgent for LGBT people of color.
According to the Movement Advancement Project, an estimated 3 million American adults identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people of color. The average unemployment rate for LGBT individuals is around 8 percent. For LGBT people of color, unemployment rates range from 15 percent among African Americans, 14 percent percent among Latinos, and 11 percent among Asian and Pacific Islander populations.
Lack of education, hiring bias, on-site discrimination, and a lack of mentorship are among the key barriers hindering LGBT workers of color from securing and retaining good jobs.
Committed to improving the status of LGBT people of color in the workplace, Out and Equal established the People of Color Advisory Committee. Bringing together employee resource group leaders, human resources, diversity and inclusion professionals, and individual employees from corporate settings, the committee identifies strategies to ensure Out and Equal's initiatives account for our diverse population, especially focusing on contemporary issues faced by LGBT people of color in the workplace, issues that won't arise for Caucasian LGBT employees.
The committee also recommends relevant topics for workshop presentations, recruits speakers, keynotes, presenters, spotlight the achievements of LGBT people of color, and engages diverse attendance at Out and Equal's annual Workplace Summit and Executive Forum.
A dynamic opportunity to help advance full LGBT inclusion and equality, we seek members who bring experience, networking connections, significant knowledge of LGBT workplace issues, and perspectives that can make a meaningful contribution to committee discussions.
To learn more about the Out and Equal People of Color Advisory Committee and how you can contribute to its important work, contact [email protected].
Andrea Shorter is the director of community relations at Out and Equal Workplace Advocates. The organization will have its Momentum gala Thursday, March 24 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. For more information, see this week's News Briefs or visit http://www.outandequal.org.