Coming out significantly increases employee earnings, according to Snyder, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and author of The G Quotient: Why Gay Executives Are Excelling As Leaders . . . And What Everyone Needs To Know.
Snyder’s most recent research shows that out-of-the-closet LGBT individuals earn an average of 30 percent more than their closeted peers. He attributes this to the fact that people who are genuine have more successful working relationships than those who hide major parts of their identities. “To get promoted, to be a successful member of a team, there has to be trust and some level of authenticity. When you’re hiding something, regardless of what that is, there isn’t a connection that creates trust,” he says.
Coming out at work doesn’t have to be a big deal, either. “It’s a non-issue in inclusive organizations. If you’re male and you say, ‘I want you to meet my partner, John,’ other people will just say ‘Hi, John.’ You don’t even have to formally come out these days,” Snyder says.
As to why some remain closeted at work, it’s not necessarily the corporate environment that’s the problem. “The vast majority of Fortune 500 companies have non-discrimination policies, but in 29 states you can still legally be fired for being gay. There’s a huge chasm between government protections and corporate protections,” says Sears.
For those at the top, the stakes may be even higher. If the CEO of a major corporation comes out, consumers could shun the company’s products and services, thus negatively impacting the organization’s profitability. But this fear is likely unfounded, Snyder says. “Boycotts don’t get any traction anymore. They’ve sort of become a cultural joke,” he says.
Nike, Collins’ corporate sponsor, didn’t seem concerned about any drop in sales. In fact, the company made a point of publicly supporting him.
And, despite the stereotype that some businesses, like technology companies, are more inclusive, while others, like automakers, are less so, Snyder says industry is not the primary determinant of whether a company has high-level executives who are out of the closet. “You can find inclusive organizations in almost any field in companies that are headquartered on the East or West coasts. But once companies are headquartered in the Midwest or the South, there are many more closeted people,” he says. He attributes Wall Street’s leadership role in advancing LGBT equality, in part, to the liberal, multicultural bent of New York City.
With celebrities, sports figures, one lesbian U.S. senator and seven gay, lesbian or bisexual members of the House of Representatives now out of the closet, it seems past time for the first Fortune 500 CEO to come out, gay advocates say. When he or she eventually does, Snyder thinks the reaction will be positive, perhaps even uneventful.
“Everybody knows someone, or has someone in their family, who’s gay. Prejudice and bigotry are always born in lack of knowledge. When we have knowledge, the fear goes away,” he says.