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Report: 45% of LGB people have faced workplace discrimination

Rachel Badham June 12, 2021

A new report, published by IBM, found almost half of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the US have faced direct workplace discrimination or found that their employer discriminates against queer people. The study, conducted by Out and Equal Workplace Advocates and the IBM Institute for Business Value, interviewed over 6,000 business professionals in America, 700 of whom identified as LGB. 

4% reported being discriminated against to a “very great extent”. This figure was even higher for LGB people of colour, with 9% of Black, 20% of Latinx, 24% of Native American, and 17% of pan-Asian respondents saying they had experienced extreme discrimination. Overall, approximately 2 in 3 LGB people said they had been disadvantaged due to their identity, compared to 57% of non-LGB respondents. 

Although the study did not examine gender identity specifically, 9% of respondents said they don’t feel the gender identity they present in the workplace corresponds with their true identity. In a statement to Them., Deena Fidas, chief program and partnerships officer for Out and Equal, said the results demonstrate that “too many LGBT+ people can’t show up as their authentic selves at work without facing negative consequences.”

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