Open for Business: LGBTQ+ Representation in the Workforce

The LGBTQ+ Community Has Come A Long Way Since Stonewall...

52 Years Later, How Has That Progress Translated To The Workplace?

Happy Pride from Wonder. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), there are close to 14 million LGBTQ+ adults and 2 million LGBTQ+ youth in the United States. Gallup's latest polls on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender identification find 5.6% of US adults identify as LGBT, up from 4.5% in 2017.  

The uptick could likely be as a result of Bostock v. Clayton County, last summer's landmark win for LGBTQ+ rights in which the US Supreme Court ruled that workers cannot be fired based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. 

And yet, as corporations trade in their stark logos for more colorful flare this Pride Month, many LGBTQ+ workers are still marching forth with an err of caution:

  • According to a HRC Foundation survey, 46% of LGBTQ+ workers remain closeted in the workplace.

  • Consequently, the HRC also reports that 50% of non-LGBTQ+ workers report that there are no employees at their company who are open about being LGBTQ+.

  • According to the Williams Institute, 11% of LGBTQ people are unemployed, compared to 5% non-LGBTQ+ people.

Source: Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Source: Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Nevertheless, most companies in the Fortune 500 have taken steps to advance equal protections and benefits for their LGBQ+ employees in recent decades.

Today, 91% of Fortune 500s forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation and 83% forbid discrimination based on gender identity–compared to just 3% in 2000.

This cash-flush club of industry titans now even has four openly LGBTQ+ CEOs within their ranks: Apple's Tim Cook, Dow's Jim Fitterling, Land O’Lakes’ Beth Ford, and Jeff Gennette of Macy's.

Wonder asked our team to dive-deep into how well LGBTQ+ people are represented in the world of business, including:

  • A complete list of statewide LGBTQ+ employment protections

  • The best & worst states in the US for LGBTQ+ workers

  • The top 10 most queer-friendly Fortune 500s

and more...


Read up on what they uncovered below:

View Wonder's Pride in the Workplace" Report here. 🏳️‍🌈

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Chris Connors