"The Cost of the Closet and the Rewards of Inclusion"a newly released study from the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) Foundation, the organization's educational armidentifies that most LGBT employees ( 53 percent ) nationwide are closeted on the job.
The report comes on the heels of a report by the Merit Systems Protection Board ( MSPB ) that finds the policy on workplace discrimination for federal employees based on sexual orientation has not been interpreted uniformly, despite being the government's policy since 1980.
"The Cost of the Closet" surveyed more than 800 LGBT workers across the country and included an added survey of non-LGBT workers. Among the key findings are that:
Fifty-three percent of LGBT employees hide who they are at work;
One in four LGBT employees report hearing negative comments such as "that's so gay" while at work; and
Twenty-six percent have stayed in a job because the environment was accepting.
The full report is at www.hrc.org/climate .