Black & Gay In Corporate America Examined By Black Enterprise

By Special to the Daily World
NEW YORK (PRNewswire) — Black Enterprise leads its seventh annual report on the Best Companies for Diversity with cover feature, “Black & Gay in Corporate America.” Written by Editor-at-Large Carolyn M. Brown, the editorial takes an unflinching look at the cultural and professional obstacles facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) African- American professionals and how a growing number are coming out and breaking through isolation and fear within their companies.

“We’re not going to pretend this was an easy topic for BLACK ENTERPRISE to consider. The LGBT community is one that our society still whispers about, mocks, ignores, and in extreme cases, vehemently rejects,” says careers/lifestyle Editorial Director Sonia Alleyne. “For Black members of this community, the emotional backlash can be even more intense.  Due to the topic’s controversial nature, we had some difficulty finding subjects. Even some of those who participated felt trepidation about how revealing their sexual orientation would affect relationships with family, friends and associates.”

The story also delves into the fear factor concerning coming out to employers. Racial discrimination in the workplace is prohibited by a number of federal and state laws, but gay rights activists say anxiety around denied promotions, dismissal, discrimination, and harassment for being gay is all too real since there’s no federal law that protects LGBT individuals on the job except in the federal workplace. Read this story in full in the recent Black Enterprise issue that came out in July.

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