Being LGBT+ at Work

Evidence of persistent discrimination is most obvious when interviewees described the process of looking for new roles. The majority of interviewees were very clear that they wouldn’t come out during a recruitment process unless they had to.  

“I have a rainbow lanyard - mostly to show allyship to parents and kids. But I feel terrible and really self-conscious, that when I’ve done interviews, I’ve taken it off. I feel terrible about doing that because I know what I’ve needed most is better allies.”
Layla, deputy headteacher

“I would never be open about my identity as a trans woman in a recruitment process. Never have been in 25 years, but I definitely wouldn’t be in the current climate. Absolutely never in an interview... If I can hide my identity, I definitely will.”
Jess, civil servant. 

“I'm always very clear with my identity even at the point where I was applying for jobs. I always give my pronouns and they're all there in my email footer. Of all the interviews I did - I must have applied to 25 jobs that summer - not one person ever acknowledged it or used them.”
Billie, call centre worker

Glass ceiling 

The low expectations that many trans and non binary staff have of their employers can create an inadvertent glass ceiling. Many of those who have good bosses, teams and workplace cultures feel very lucky to have them, and are not confident it would be replicated elsewhere. They described being unwilling to look for or go for promotions or new roles, because of not wanting to “take a risk” on a new manager.  

“If I was thinking about moving to a different role in the hospital, I’d definitely suss out whether the manager was bigoted or not. I’m really lucky now - my manager is an older straight cis guy, but he’s just - I call it unconsciously inclusive. Nothing feels forced by him. I don’t know how many other managers in the hospital would make me feel so at ease.” 
Louis, clinical pharmacist

“I’ve definitely left schools quickly when they didn’t feel inclusive or supportive. I was at a big, mixed school in the 90s and it was very obvious I wouldn’t be able to be myself there. I only lasted two years. I was a bit more discerning about where I went after that.”
Henry, primary school headteacher