Posted under Career Management, Diversity, Job Search, Uncategorized on June 16th, 2008
When President Clinton signed the executive order designating June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month he wrote “I hope that in this new millennium will continue to break down the walls of fear and prejudice and work to build a bridge to understanding and tolerance, until gays and lesbians are afforded the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans.”
Much has happened since June 2000. According the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) more than half of states and thousands of corporations have expanded protections and benefits for their GLBT employees including 433 of Fortune 500 companies.
Below are a sampling of web resources including advocacy groups, professional associations, job portals and books dedicated to helping gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals advance their careers and contributions in the workplace, as well as, educating employers and coworkers to create more inclusive workplaces.
Advocacy Groups
glbtworkplace.com‘s goal is to provide the knowledge, support and tools to enable a world where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people can work openly and safely in a workplace that is welcoming and free of harassment and discrimination, regardless of occupation. The web site features articles, editorial comentary, discussion topics and opinion / data gathering polls. The Frequently Asked Questions by Managers Regarding GLBT Workplace Issues section is also a valuable guide for everyone.
Human Right Campaign Workplace Project delivers information on workplace policies and laws surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity, and is a great resource for “how-to” information. HRC publishes the annual Corporate Equality Index which rates companies on their GLBT inclusiveness.
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates hosts a natioanally recognized annual conference, offers training programs and has regional affiliates for local networking.
OUT For Work is a national nonprofit organization educating, preparing, and empowering LGBT students and their allies for the workplace.
The vast majority of companies listed in the DiversityInc’s 2008 Top 50 Companies for Diversity have active programs to recruit GLBT employees, nondiscrimination policies that include gender identity, Employee Resource Groups for GLBT employees, gay/lesbian businesses in supplier-diversity tracking and corporate web sites addressing the GLBT community.
Professional Associations
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA)
National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Science and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP)
Regional LGBT Professional Organizations
Job Portals
There are niche GLBT career sites that provide job postings, career management tools and resources needed to successfully navigate in U.S. workplace.
www.simplyhired.com/a/special-searches/glbt-friendly
Books
Straight Talk About Gays in the Workplace (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies)
Lavender Road To Success: The Career Guide by Kirk Snyder
The resources listed above are but few. If you have additional sources to recommend to our readers, please post them in the comments section.
Posted Murray A. Mann
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