A study conducted by the Equal Rights Center and Freedom to Work found that people with experience working for an LGBT organization were significantly less likely to get called for an interview than someone with similar experience but for a different type of activist organization.
The study’s researchers sent out 100 pairs of fictional resumes to government contractors, such as ExxonMobil and General Electric Co., and examined their responses. One of the fictional resumes had volunteer experience in an LGBT organization and the other had a similar role in a non LGBT-focused organization. Even though the resume with LGBT experience was a stronger application, with a higher GPA and better professional experience, they were invited for an interview 23 percent less frequently than the others.
While LGBT rights like marriage equality have improved in the past few years, discrimination against LGBT people is still a large problem, especially in the workplace. LGBT people of color are the most disadvantaged. They experience higher rates of discrimination, and they have to deal with unequal job benefits, discriminatory immigration and tax laws, and unequal job benefits. They are also less likely to have adequate mentors.
President Obama announced in June that he plans to issue an executive order prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation for any contractor or subcontractor who does at least $10,000 worth of business with the federal government within one year.
Media Resources: The Equal Rights Center; Feministing 7/2/14; Feminist Newswire 11/19/13, 1/28/14, 6/17/14,
