Going to Work: LGBTQ people face challenges in the workplace

Our Tomorrow is a campaign to engage LGBTQ people across the country in a conversation about the future of their community. To better understand the hopes and challenges faced by LGBTQ people in America today, the Our Tomorrow research team reviewed more than 100 reports and surveys from more than 50 leading researchers — presenting “a clearer picture than ever before of the U.S. LGBT community,” according to The Advocate.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned about the lives of LGBTQ Americans in a series of posts focusing on each stage of life — from childhood through the golden years. (You can read the previous two posts here and here.)

While a lot of progress has been made to expand LGBTQ rights, many people still face very real challenges in their everyday lives — particularly in the workplace.

In 2013, more than half of LGBTQ adults said their workplaces are “very accepting,” according to a Pew Research Center study. However, only 33 percent said that all or most of their co-workers were aware of their sexual orientation or gender identity — meaning that, despite strides made toward increased acceptance, a vast majority of LGBTQ workers still aren’t comfortable being fully open with their colleagues.

This wariness may be attributable to a fear of ridicule. A 2014 study conducted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that one in four LGBTQ people reported hearing overtly anti-LGBTQ jokes in the workplace. That number swells to nearly 60 percent among bisexual workers, while 90 percent of transgender workers reported harassment or mistreatment while on the job.

Far too often, a desire to be open can force LGBTQ workers to put their very livelihoods at risk. According to the same CAP study, one in ten LGBTQ workers reported bring fired from a job within the past five years because of their sexual identity or gender identity.

The problem is even greater for bisexual and transgender workers, with 20 percent of bisexuals and 47 percent of transgender workers saying they’ve experienced a negative employment decision (such as being fired or denied a promotion) because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, respectively.

Perhaps due to this pervasive discrimination, LGBTQ people are less financially secure than their straight counterparts. A 2014 study conducted by Gallup revealed that only 29 percent of LGBTQ adults are considered to be “thriving” financially, compared to 39 percent of non-LGBTQ adults. As a result, nearly one in three LGBTQ adults say there are times when they don’t have enough money for food, compared to only 18 percent of non-LGBTQ adults, according to the Williams Institute.

LGBTQ workers deserve better. It’s time for us to stand together and build a future where we can all thrive, no matter how we identify ourselves. We’ve come a long way, but there is much work left to do before everyone has full equality and dignity under the law.

What can we do to expand support and protections for LGBTQ people at work? Join the conversation and share your ideas today at www.shareourtomorrow.org.

Alex Orton is a digital associate at Hattaway Communications, which is coordinating the Our Tomorrow campaign on behalf of more than 125 LGBTQ foundations and nonprofit organizations.