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Article: Gay and Lesbian MBAs Make Their Mark

Article Group List / Diversity / Gay and Lesbian MBAs Make Their Mark

Gay and Lesbian MBAs Make Their Mark

The favorite MBA color may still be green, but increasingly, business schools and MBA employers alike are embracing a rainbow of gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees.  While age-old stigmas and conservative prejudices haven't vanished, conditions are improving, according to gay and lesbian MBAs surveyed by Vault.com.

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) associations are established in an estimated 60 to 75 percent of top U.S. business schools.  Business schools now actively fight their reputation as what one lesbian MBA describes as "a lot of white privileged boys headed to Wall Street," and now eagerly seek to recruit a diverse student body.

Indeed, top business schools are producing a much more eclectic group of MBAs than they were 10 years ago.  Harvard, Yale, and Columbia boast that over 30 percent of their B-school students are women, and on average, their minority representation hovers around 20 percent.  This openmindedness extends to gay, lesbian, and bisexual students.  "Simply by taking a group that is more or less representative of a typical business school class," says Peter Allen, Director of Professional Development for Wharton's Out for Business GLB Association, "we're seeing more diversity and sending that out into the working world.  I think it's something MBAs have come to expect."

MBA employers have joined in the enthusiasm for attracting GLB applicants. GLB MBAs say that companies can't afford not to - it's a seller's job market, and there exists a wealth of opportunities for MBAs; a Harvard Business School graduate averages 10 interviews and three offers.  That means, in the words of Yale MBA candidate James Robertson, "For people who might consider careers in more traditional companies, there better be a damn good reason, or several, as to why they choose that company.  A lot of people don't want to live their lives in the closet."

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual MBAs aren't the only ones who benefit from gay-friendly perks like partner benefits and non-discrimination policies.  Other MBAs either use them or appreciate the tolerant atmosphere they represent. ~

GLB is Good Business
Understanding the gay and lesbian market is good business.  According to Jeffrey Newman, president of GFN.com, a financial web site aimed at the GLB community, gays and lesbians represent anywhere from 3 to 10 percent of the American population.  One agency, Witeck-Combs Communications, whose past clients include American Airlines and Coors Brewing Co., has created a technique called the Gay Marketing Assessment to help companies target the gay market.

But the best way to attract diverse customers is to have employees who look like and understand the customer base.  "Businesses who foolishly think that their customer base is all going to be straight white men are wrong," says Robertson. 

Top MBA employers are making progress.  According to the Human Rights Campaign, out of 1,558 companies with non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation, 261 of those are Fortune 500, and of the 2,856 companies offering domestic partner benefits, 71 are Fortune 500.  (In 1990, fewer than two dozen U.S. employers offered "spousal equivalent" benefits to GLB employees.)

MBAs are more willing to be openly gay and "not compromise their values," says GFN president Newman.  But will schools and businesses be as willing to embrace gays and lesbians if the economy turns sour and MBAs are no longer a top commodity?  "It won't cause a total setback," asserts one lesbian MBA.  "It will be two steps forward, one back."

Vault.com spoke to seven current and former MBAs to hear about their experiences in business school and afterwards.  Here's what they had to share.

Q: What's it like to be GLB in business school?

Liz: There is no question that we are a minority.  It was very important for me to be out in school as I have been in my professional and personal life for years, so I wrote about a GLB organization in one of my essays, announced that I had a girlfriend the very first day of orientation to my class of 60, and was just generally my queer self.  That made it easy for other GLB students to find me and we very quickly bonded and became very active and visible as a group. ~

Julie: When I was in business school, the environment was very conservative and conformist.  It seemed that people spent a lot of energy trying to emphasize how much they were alike and how they did not differ from the "norm," which was straight, white, male, and conservative.  There was no student organization for gays and lesbians, no one was out, and students and faculty, for the most part, were not comfortable discussing the topic of homosexuality.  So it was not a very fun or open environment and I spent most of my social time away from the business school and my classmates.

Deb: The GLB community at B-school is very small, but it's fairly strong.  I am out, and I find it almost empowering!  It feels great to be who I am.

Ryan: I don't find that it has significantly altered my experience.  How comfortable you are with your sexuality will determine how you are going to respond to the business school environment.  Unfortunately, business school tends to push people further into the closet or throw people who were previously out back into the closet.

Andrew: For me it has been a non-issue or, if anything, an advantage.  The Wharton community is generally accepting of, and eager to learn about, diverse perspectives, including the gay and lesbian community.

Peter: I've been out since I was an undergrad, so being out is perfectly normal for me.  Whether or not schools had gay/lesbian associations or clubs was a criteria I used in selecting a business school. Jason: On the whole, there aren't very many gays and lesbians at business school.  Even so, there didn't seem to be many issues.

Q: Do you think some industries are more gay-friendly than others?  Why or why not?  Which industries do you consider most and least gay-friendly?

~ Liz: I think of media, technology, entertainment and the whole service industry (especially hotels) as relatively gay-friendly in the ranks (where people are quite open) but unfortunately closeted or straight as hell at the top.  The worst industries would have to be banking, because there's such a perception of conservatism and code of silence, and sports, where even professional athletes have difficulty being out.  Consulting is a catch-22, because the firms themselves are supportive, but there's the whole issue of how acceptable it is to be out to the clients.

Deb: Absolutely.  Advertising, entertainment and other media are gay-friendly because so many of the creatives are gay!  Wall Street is still like an old boy's network.  It's not an easy place for GLBs or women.

Andrew: I absolutely believe that industries vary in their extent of gay-friendliness.  I consider consulting to be particularly gay-friendly - part of this perception is due to the effort by consulting firms to reach out to GLB B-school students.  I also perceive high tech as gay-friendly.

Peter: Most people say that investment banking is less welcoming and really not friendly at all.  There are definitely reasons why people don't come out in the industry, and why out people don't go in.

Jason: I'm pretty impressed with consulting firms.  McKinsey, Booz?Allen, PwC, Deloitte Consulting, and the Monitor Company all seem fairly progressive.  They generally have non-discrimination policies, domestic partner benefits, and openly gay people in very high management positions.

Q: Would you feel comfortable taking your partner to a business event?

Liz: I did it as a summer associate, although I wasn't very obvious about who she was or why she was there to the clients present.

Ryan: I've done it in the past before getting my MBA.  I hope to continue to do so in the future.  It really depends on the company where I end up. ~

Andrew: I would use my judgement in determining whether to bring my partner to a business event.  Because I anticipate that I may function in a client service environment, I would gauge my client's receptiveness.  While I would expect my employer to stand behind my decision either way, I also understand that business is business, and many times the client does come first.  So, if downplaying the fact that I am gay is critical to the success of a deal, I wouldn't bring my partner.

Q: Do you feel comfortable telling your co-workers and peers about your sexual orientation?

Liz: I'm always comfortable, but sometimes they're not.  But I find it most effective to be very matter of fact and act as if it is the most common thing to be gay and be open about it.

Julie: Comfortable.  I'm generally an open person.  My sexuality usually comes out naturally as I get to know people.

Deb: I always work it in somehow, mention my girlfriend when appropriate, and so on - and then I feel better.

Ryan: With my peers I am totally comfortable.  At work, it really depends.  For example, at my summer internship, I've not come out to my supervisors but have to some co-workers.  On the one hand, it's a cautionary decision.  It's also that I don't feel I need to - that people can think what they want, if they're going to think anything at all.

Q: Would you bring up your sexual orientation in a job interview?

Liz: If there was a logical reason for it, yes, but I also am out on my resume [as a founder of a GLB organization] so I take the guesswork out of the equation.

Julie: Not usually.  Only if it was relevant and there was a reason to bring it up.  Usually I wait and discuss it as I get to know people and when the topic comes up naturally.

Deb: I decided to come out on my resume so that companies could self-select.  I don't want to work for a company that isn't comfortable with me.  Also, if benefits come up in an interview, I ask if there are partner benefits. ~

Ryan: I would determine that on a case-by-case basis.  If I felt it was relevant, fine.  But my sexual orientation doesn't have anything to do with whether or not I can do the job.  Yes, it's a fundamental part of who I am, but I don't think that it affects my work.  If I had reservations about a potential job or company, then I might raise the issue.  If the company reacted adversely, I would likely turn down the offer and be thankful that I didn't end up in the position.

Andrew: Yes, and I have.  I am the president of the GLB group at Wharton, and that role is listed on my resume.  I have discussed my role as president as an example of leadership.  Additionally, many of my activities outside of work and school have also included the GLB community, and I feel it is appropriate to discuss those activities when I want to demonstrate my commitment to non-work causes.  If my background were different, and there were no GLB references on my resume, I probably wouldn't discuss my orientation.

Peter: Right now I'm the Vice President for Professional Development of the Wharton GLB Association, Out for Business.  I have that on my resume.  I've also worked with AIDS projects, which is also on my resume.  Those sorts of things just invite people to read between the lines.  I do have one hilarious experience.

When I was interviewing with another consulting company, a man from France conducted one of the rounds.  As he glanced over my resume and asked, "what is 'Out for Business?'" I said that it is the student gay group.  He looked puzzled, so I tried again, which left him further confused.  I speak French so I finally said to him, in French, it's the homosexual student group.  He just said, "Oh!" He seemed very embarrassed.  It was pretty funny.  I never received an offer from them.  I don't know if it was because of that or not, but it was humorous nonetheless.

Jason: I am out on my resume, but not to display my sexual orientation.  I have it down because of the role I played in organizing the Gay/Lesbian Business Conference; there's actual leadership experience that I can talk about, and that I'm proud of.  I think it demonstrates my strengths and weaknesses.  It has come up in interviews. ~

Q: Do you think employers have become more proactive in terms of recruiting and retaining GLB MBAs?  Why or why not?

Liz: I'm not sure they really make the association or believe that there are GLB MBAs out there, since GLB people are generally thought of as "radical," which is a vast and mostly untrue generalization, and MBAs are generally thought of as "conservative" - unfortunately often true.  Employers are more friendly about recruiting and retaining GLB MBAs if you let them know you're queer and if they have other GLB employees already.

Julie: Many recruiters seem oblivious to the issue and often uncomfortable with it.  Of course there are exceptions but the general climate still seems fairly unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the topic of gays and lesbians.

Deb: Yes.  Diversity is a big deal these days, and everyone wants to prove how hip they are.

Ryan: Not necessarily across the board, but yes, I think that companies have gotten better about it.

Andrew: Absolutely.  The market for MBAs is tight - as students, we have a multitude of opportunities facing us, and employers need to attract the best and the brightest.  Just as employers have stepped up their efforts to attract and retain women and racial minorities, they have stepped up their focus on GLB MBAs.  While some of this increased friendliness may be the result of increasing acceptance in society, it is also almost certainly a matter of competitive advantage.