The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) just released a report on the state of the workplace for LGBT Employees. I encourage everyone to read this. The information will astound you. It will also help you to see that others are experiencing the exact issues that you do.
A few highlights:
- 1/3 of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination based on gender identity.
- 51% of LGBT employees hide their gender identity at work.
- 5% of those 18-24 years of age are out at work.
- 54% of those not out at work lie about their personal lives.
- 58% of LGBT employees report experiencing continuing jokes and derogatory comments at work.
- Just because a company says that they are LGBT friendly does not mean its staff is so accepting.
- “Dropping pink flags,” as I call it, is the primary way to come out at work.
I could continue this for another 10 pages. There are many topics in this that I wish to discuss and will do so over the coming weeks and months. If you would like to participate, please feel free to write a piece for this site! You may also submit an anonymous article.
http://www.hrc.org/degrees_of_equality/index.asp
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I have looked over this site , and find it interesting, in that I myself am a 48 year old individual of bi-sexual orientation who has 30 years behind me of going to sea in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Though I am in no way obvious, and/or effeminate by nature, I have, here and there during those 30 years confided, or “come out” to a few shipmates who seemed of tolerant and enlightened disposition, even though I’ve always been loathe to even have the subject brought up onboard ship, as when it HAS ever been brought up, it almost always was in a very condemnatory context by other seamen, some of whom will even brag about having “run someone off the ship” when they had percieved that individual as being gay, of which I personally have had bitter enough experiences at times myself, as well as having observed others victimized as such throughout the years. All it takes is the usual gossip, and/or suspicions as to a perception by the others, as to ones’ supposed lack of impeccable “heterosexual legitimousy”. Thankfully, actual sex-related complexities never have been a factor, as I’ve always been exceedingly “narrow” as to whom I find interesting, (i.e.) attractive in that context, whether one would be refering to males or females, as well as a solidly general sexual aversion to almost everybody, especially other caucasians. “Picky” with me, as regards physical preferences, is a gross understatement. Funny how the most vociferous homophobes, who so offtimes, when enebriated, are the VERY ones’ who make an “on the sly” pass at you! The ONE gratifying trend I’ve observed, for the most part in the past five years, is a certain “uneasy coyness” forced upon the active bigots aboard ship, as to how they choose to express their negative pejudices (as regards gay people) in particular. Only the very most arrogantly careless, and obtuse, feel free to bandy about their cherished anti-gay slurs with an uncompromized sense of complete impunity. A case in point was the last voyage I did on a Maersk-Sealand Lines container ship, the M.V. Meteor, last year when the British born 2nd Mate (my watch officer) derived much amusment repeatedly throughout the whole 30+ day voyage, blurting out “He’s a HOMOSEXUAL! HOMOSEXUALITY! That is an OBAMINATION, is’nt it!?!… delivered in his delightfully sarcastic Liverpool accent. This behavior was elicited whenever mention of a widely known gay entertainer, or other notable gay person came in over the satellite radio,… which was often… I would psuedo shrug it off with a feigned indifferance, joking, “Oh boy Mate,you REALLY have an obsession with that issue!”(homosexuality). I could’nt let him bait me into a real debate though, as I, being of a subordinante rank (Able Bodied Seaman), am at an inherent dissadvantage. Having to some degree “pull your punches,” and/or bite ones’ lip is a given in such predicaments, but enduring such bufoonery, after a time, wears very thin indeed, so I DID, (in the final days before we put into Houston), in a “friendly, matter of fact sort of manner” assert that he was a “homophobic bigot, and racist” for all his past “homosexuality=obomination” rhetoric throughout the voyage. Whereupon digesting this, he somewhat angrily asserted that “I am NOT!” And that, “I was merely NEEDLING you!” Upon hearing this, I challenged him as to,”Why would you needle me with THAT particuar word (Homosexuality)during the whole voyage?” This caused him to immediately “clam up” on persuing that vein of conversation. You see, “supposedly” all conversations on the bridge of that particular ship (All MAersk Sealand ships?) are uplinked to a satellite, and recorded at the Maersk-Sealand Lines corporate headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. Funny thing though, in all other respects I actually LIKED the old fellow. I just, in the end, realized as to just how I offended I really was when all was said and done, and that such behavior lends absolutely nothing towards achieving a secure, non-theating work environment. I somehow doubt it that I really accomplished much of anything tangible and usefull though, save for asserting some modicrum of self-respect(important as this should be for any person), as he will most surely be most likely to carry his cherished bigotries, and prejudices to the grave with him. A closed mind is the greatest insult to the creator, says I… Oh well…