How Gays Can Break the Glass Ceiling
By Andy Heath
I have often wondered how gays can break the proverbial "glass ceiling" in the workplace. I have posted about this concept before, but I think it bears further exploration. In my humble experience, after some time working in an office - and that has happened frequently - my coworkers eventually know that I'm gay. I'm not entirely convinced that the knowledge of my sexuality has hindered my ability to move up in an office, but I have to make two observations: One, I am an extraordinary administrative employee. Two, I have NEVER been offered a promotion. You must keep in mind that the longest position I have held was at a pension office working as an accounting specialist for two years. However, I believe that if my coworkers and supervisors were pleased with my work, as they usually have been, that at some point they would have offered me a promotion.
So what is it? Are they jealous and afraid I'll storm the office if I move up? It's possible, though quite unlikely. While politics generally prevails at any company, one undeniable fact is that money-hungry executives like competent employees that put money in their pocket rather than taking it out of their pocket via incompetence.
Are they afraid I just won't be there very long? That's very possible, and certainly more likely than not liking the fact that I am a very good administrative employee. I have been - and I think it's fair to say this - a career temporary employee. I have had so many short term assignments, that it's almost embarrassing to list them all on my resume. I frequently only list the longer ones simply because those seem the most relevant.
But then there is my homosexuality. Is it possible that homophobia is the new racism, as so many people have said over the last several years? Is it possible that, just as whites did not like the idea of "uppity" blacks back in the sixties, straight people don't like the concept of successful gay people in the workplace? Is it possible that, just as some men don't want to report to a female supervisor, some straight men and women don't want to report to a gay supervisor?
Certainly there are highly successful gays and lesbians in any workplace. But do these gays and lesbians have to work harder and "kiss a few more butts" not to be labeled the office "fag"? Do we have to seek out employers that cater to our unique contributions to find the acceptance that we deserve?
How do we break the gay glass ceiling?
One method is to remain eternally in the closet. If we never tell anyone that we're gay, then maybe they will never know. Not true in my case, however, because I am obviously gay. Another method is to find employers that are sensitive to gay issues and work for them. While this is probably one of the most pleasant routes to take - and while I would often advise working for those that appreciate us - it is not always feasible to work for gay-friendly employers. The fact is, unpleasant as it might seem - homophobia just exists, and it will as long as anyone reading this blog on the day it is posted lives in this three-dimensional realm.
Here's my proposal: We break the glass ceiling by being unafraid. We show courage in the workplace and let everyone know who we are. We dare them to fire us and accept that firing gracefully on the occasions that it happens. We do a better job than the majority of our straight counterparts to the extent that if our employers deny us upward mobility, it is obvious. We make our employers look like fools for putting up the glass ceiling in the first place. This is a difficult task - and we will be rejected for it sometimes. And yes, at times our souls will bleed.
But this courage is the only way to move bigoted employers through their own bigotry and bring to light that bigotry makes no sense. We should not ask for acceptance - we should demand it. We must dare people not to accept us. And when employers do mistreat us, we must get others on our side. Scary as it sounds, we must submit press releases and get the media - who is generally quite agreeable to our goal toward acceptance - to make a fool out of foolish employers. It is scary. It really is. But it is not just your glass ceiling and mine that we must break. We must break the glass ceiling for gays and lesbians, bisexual and transgender, questioning and even sometimes straight people in this country. We each have the collective responsibility to make less understanding people understand the pain that we experience from living in a world that generally hates us.
Will you take on this challenge with me? Will you help all of us to break the glass ceiling?
