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BUSINESS
Why Coming Out is Good Business
Power of the Queer Dollar
Corporate Sponsorship of Gay Pride Events on the Rise
Top LGBTQ Corporate Business Leaders
First Openly Gay Women to Head Fortune 500 Company
Openly Gay CEOs
Businesses That Stand Up for LGBTQ Customers
Info:
Career
and Workplace Issues
LGBTQ Marketing and Advertising
Logo: Top 25 LGBTQ Friendly Companies
HRC: Employer Database
LGBTQ in the Marketplace
LGBTQ marketing is the act of marketing to LGBTQ
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer)
consumers, either with dedicated ads or general ads, or
through sponsorships of LGBTQ organizations and events,
or through the targeted use of any other element of the
marketing mix.
The LGBTQ market comprises a large and influential group
of customers to a broad range of companies, across
industry segments, across many countries around the
globe. In the US alone, the LGBTQ market is estimated to
be worth $660 billion (2006) in disposable income.
Approximately 4% to 10% of adult populations
self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, meaning
between 12 million and 28 million in the United States
alone. Major ad categories include travel, financial
services, alcoholic beverages, automotive,
entertainment, hair and skincare, luxury goods,
pharmaceuticals, and fashion.
According a survey by Witeck/Combs/Harris, 78% of LGBTQ
people and their friends and relatives would switch
brands to companies that are known as LGBTQ friendly.
The Power of Being an Out Entrepreneur
How Businesses Are Standing Up for LGBTQ Rights
Nielson: LGBTQ Consumer Report
Info: Money
and Financial Matters
Nielson: State of the LGBTQ Consumer
Report: Diversity in the Tech Field
Atlantic: Economic Case for Supporting LGBTQ Rights
Experian: Marketing to LGBTQ Consumers
Advertising Age: Top Ten Best LGBTQ-Themed
Ads
GLAAD: Importance of LGBTQ Equality in the Workplace
LGBTQ Discrimination in Business and Government
According
to the Harris Poll (October 2015), the majority of
Americans agree that businesses and government officials
should not discriminate against LGBTQ people.
As Kentucky’s Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis may now
realize, most Americans believe that government
officials should not allow their religious beliefs to
stand in the way of issuing marriage licenses to all
couples. A new national survey reveals that Americans
shun this form of discrimination not only by public
officials, but also by businesses that wish to deny
goods or services to LGBTQ people.
A full two-thirds (67%) of Americans, including 78% of
LGBTQ Americans, agreed that a government official
should be obligated to serve all of the public and
perform all duties, regardless of their religious
beliefs. The Out & Equal Workplace survey also confirmed
that 60% of Americans (and 80% of LGBTQ individuals)
believe that business owners should not be permitted to
turn away anyone based on their religious beliefs.
These and other findings were included in the 2015 Out &
Equal Workplace Survey, in partnership with Witeck
Communications.
“These
findings makes it clear that a majority of Americans
still believe that fairness and equal treatment are a
birthright for all of us. And that discrimination
against LGBTQ people has no justification,” said Selisse
Berry, Founder, CEO, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates.
“This past year, we saw more and more business leaders
and corporations boldly oppose discriminatory religious
freedom legislation, while standing up for their
workforce and their customers.”
Gay Market News
Out & Equal Workplace
Advocates
Info:
Career
and Workplace Issues
Businesses Are Saying No to Religious Freedom Laws
Companies That Support LGBTQ Rights
Companies That Do Not Support LGBTQ Rights
Most LGBTQ Inclusive Brands
Info:
Legal
Issues
Logo: Top 25 LGBTQ Friendly Companies
HRC: Employer Database
Pride Not Prejudice: Discrimination in the Workplace

Strong
Support for Federal Non-Discrimination Protections: The
survey also informed respondents that there is no
federal law today that protects someone who is LGBTQ
from discrimination in public accommodations such as
restaurants, hotels and other businesses open to all the
public. When asked if they would support such a law, 6
out of 10 (62%) Americans agreed, with 44% saying they
“strongly support” a federal law, and, by contrast, only
14% saying they “strongly oppose” such a law.
In a related question, the survey found that 21% of
Americans believe that LGBTQ people are protected from
being fired because of their sexual orientation or
gender identity in all 50 states, including 12% of LGBTQ
people who share this misconception. However, there is
no such federal law, and today there are only 22 states
with workplace protections based on sexual orientation,
and 19 states that include protections for gender
identity.

State
Exemptions for Individual Religious Beliefs: The survey
also touched on the rise of state legislation that would
expand ways to exempt individuals from laws or
regulations that conflict with their religious beliefs.
Forty-five percent of Americans say they oppose
expanding these religious exemptions at the state level,
with just 30% in support. Roughly one out of five,
however, said they still were not sure.
“Americans are debating and learning much about the kind
of society they desire,” said Bob Witeck, President of
Witeck Communications. “The good news is that their
distaste for discrimination seems to be growing, and
this signal is keenly understood in the marketplace and
throughout American life.”

LGBTQ Representation in Advertising
Wells Fargo Bank: Learning Sign Language
Clean & Clear: Being Your True Self
Tide: Couple Doing Laundry
Toyota: She Thinks She’s in Love
NatWest Bank: Whoever You Are
Nordstrom: Homecoming
Sealy Posturepedic: Afterglow
Ikea: Dining Room Table
Colgate: Smile With Pride
Heinz: Gay Kiss
Pepsi: Three Men in a Bar
Kindle: At The Beach
XXL All Sports United: Airport Love
Hyundai: Lipstick Note
Openly Gay
Business Leaders
Tim Cook -
CEO of Apple Computers
John
Browne - CEO of BP Oil
Beth Ford
- CEO of Land O' Lakes
Alan Joyce
- CEO of Qantas Airlines
Robert
Hanson - CEO of American Eagle Outfitters
Inga Beale
- CEO of Lloyd's of London
Joseph
Evangelisti - CEO of JP Morgan Chase
Antonio
Simoes - CEO of HSBC Bank
Peter
Thiel - Co-Founder of PayPal
Louis Vega
- Senior Executive at Dow Chemical
Alex
Schultz - VP of Facebook
Claudia
Brind-Woody - VP at IBM
Beth
Brook-Marciniak - VP at Ernst & Young

Apple Computers
CEO Tim Cook is Gay
"I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the
greatest gifts God has given me."
-Tim Cook
/ CEO of Apple Computers
In October 2014 Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple Computers,
announced to the world that he was gay, making him the
highest-profile chief executive to publicly come out. He
was born in Mobile, Alabama and grew up and attended
school in south Alabama. He is a 1982 graduate of Auburn
University. He And now he is the CEO of Apple
Computers, succeeding Apple founder Steve Jobs back in
2011.
Cook
becomes the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500
company, according to gay rights group Human Rights
Campaign, who applauded Cook's Bloomberg essay in which
he announced his sexual orientation. "Tim Cook's
announcement will save countless lives," says HRC
President Chad Griffin. "He has always been a role
model, but today millions across the globe will draw
inspiration from a different aspect of his life."
USA Today: Apple CEO Tim Cook Proud to be Gay
Mr. Cook’s
decision is unlikely to have any major impact on Apple’s
global business, said business analysts and professors.
No business executive of Mr. Cook’s stature has ever
done something like this before. And while laws
legalizing same-sex marriage are sweeping places like
the United States, Latin America and Europe, gay rights
advocates are still struggling to secure basic
protections in Asia, where Apple generated 27 percent of
its revenue in the fourth quarter.
"Throughout my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain
a basic level of privacy," he says. "I come from humble
roots, and I don’t seek to draw attention to myself.
Apple is already one of the most closely watched
companies in the world, and I like keeping the focus on
our products and the incredible things our customers
achieve with them." He continues, "At the same time, I
believe deeply in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King,
who said: Life’s most persistent and urgent question is,
What are you doing for others? I often challenge myself
with that question, and I’ve come to realize that my
desire for personal privacy has been holding me back
from doing something more important. That’s what has led
me to today."

"For
years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual
orientation, " he explains. "Plenty of colleagues at
Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a
difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had
the good fortune to work at a company that loves
creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish
when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is
so lucky." "While I have never denied my sexuality, I
haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So
let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider
being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me."
Tim Cook's
revelation comes just days after he advocated on behalf
of LGBTQ rights in his home state of Alabama. "Alabama
is still too slow on equality for the LGBTQ community,"
he said, per the Associated Press, while calling for
laws protecting people based on sexual orientation and
gender identity. "Under the law, citizens of Alabama can
still be fired based on their sexual orientation. We
can't change the past, but we can learn from it and we
can create a different future." "As a state, we took too
long to steps toward equality," he said. "We were too
slow on equality for African-Americans. We were too slow
on interracial marriage, and we are still too slow for
the equality for the LGBTQ community." Cook's sexuality
has been a point of speculation for quite some time.
Gawker reported that Cook was gay back in 2011 before he
succeeded Steve Jobs. Since then, Cook himself has
seemingly dropped hints about his sexuality. In 2013,
during a speech about human rights at Auburn University
Cook discussed the discrimination he faced as a young
person.

LGBTQ Representation in Advertising
Awesome Gay
Commercials
Funny Gay
Commercials
Emotional Gay
Commercials
BP Former CEO
Comes Out
In June 2014, the former CEO of BP Oil Company (British
Petroleum), Lord John Browne, came out as gay. In his
recently published book, "The Glass Closet," Browne
reflects on being a closeted gay business executive.
During his 12 years as CEO, he never discussed his
sexuality in the workplace. That changed in 2007, when
his relationship with a male escort was exposed and
Browne resigned amid an ensuing scandal. At the time, he
said in a statement, "I have always regarded my
sexuality as a personal matter, to be kept private."

The presumption in the business world "is that everyone
is straight," Browne tells NPR. "The presumption is that
a man will have photographs on his desk of his wife and
children." But looking back today, he says "it would
have been better to come out, rather than not." So
Browne has written a manifesto, The Glass Closet: Why
Coming Out Is Good For Business. In it, he shares
his regrets and urges business to create a more
supportive environment for gay and lesbian employees.
Why Coming Out is Good Business
Power of the Queer Dollar
Corporate Sponsorship of Gay Pride Events on the Rise
Top LGBTQ Corporate Business Leaders
First Openly Gay Women to Head Fortune 500 Company
Openly Gay CEOs
Businesses That Stand Up for LGBTQ Customers
Info:
Career
and Workplace Issues
LGBTQ Marketing and Advertising
Logo: Top 25 LGBTQ Friendly Companies
HRC: Employer Database
LGBTQ Reading
List: Business and Career
Gay Issues in the Workplace by Brian McNaught
Lavender Road to Success: Career Guide for the Gay
Community by Kirk Snyder
The Gay Yellow Pages: The National Edition
Straight Jobs, Gay Lives by
Annette Friskopp & Sharon Silverstein
100 Best Companies for Gay Men and Lesbians by Ed
Mickens
Lesbian Lifestyles: Women's Work and the Politics of
Sexuality by Gillian Dunne
Acts of
Disclosure: Coming out Process of Contemporary Gay Men
by Marc Vargo
Straight
Talk About Gays in the Workplace by Liz Winfeld
Pleasures
and Perils of Coming Out on the Job by Richard Rasi
The G
Quotient by Kirk Snyder
Your
Career Career: Ultimate Career Guide for LGBTQ Job
Seekers by Riley B. Folds III
Transgender Workplace Diversity by Jillian Weiss
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