Queer careers

Riley Folds says he had the same questions that many LGBTQ
people have when he began thinking about his career.

“My personal life is my personal life,” he says. “Why does my
personal life matter to my work life? But our work [lives] and our personal
lives collide every day, so it does matter.”

Folds is the founder of Out for Work, a nonprofit
organization that prepares LGBTQ college students for life in the work force. He’s
also the author of “Your Queer Career: The Ultimate Guide for Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender Job Seekers.”

Nazareth College’s career services department will host “Your
Queer Career,” a talk by Folds, at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 7, in the Arts
Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Folds says he spends much of his time talking with students
about the transition from college to the job market.

“Academia provides such a comfortable environment and these
students are working hard and taking on leadership roles, and they’re doing all
of these amazing [social activist] things,” he says. “But then they have to go
out into the working world and they have to move to places like Kansas or
Texas, places where there isn’t this kind of support and protection [for LGBTQ
employees].”

Almost everyone in today’s economy could use some type of
career counseling, Folds says.

“But specifically for LGBTQ individuals there are clearly
different challenges that enter the process that heterosexual individuals never
really have to consider,” he says.

Research
shows that sexual orientation and gender identity have no
correlation to how individuals perform at work. But reports over the last 20
years show “high levels of discrimination against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals,
and transgender people at work,” according to multiple studies by the UCLA School
of Law.

One study says that as many as one in four LGBT employees
experienced discrimination in the workplace. And about one-third were not out
at work due to fear and intimidation, the study says.

Employment for transgender individuals is especially dire.
The Human Rights Campaign says that in surveys between 1996 and 2006, as many
as 57 percent of transgender respondents said they experienced discrimination
both in getting jobs and while employed.

And the Employment Discrimination Act has stalled in
Congress. ENDA would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual
orientation or gender identity. Though the problem has eased somewhat in the
last few years, Folds says, LGBTQ individuals can still be fired, or denied
employment or a promotion in 29 states.

Most of the questions that students have are about resumes
and interviews, Folds says. For example, “What does it mean to be out on a
resume or in an interview?” Or, “How out should I be?”

Folds has an exercise where students are asked, “Would you
target LGBTQ [friendly] companies?” “Would you target them, but it wouldn’t be
a deal breaker?” “Or would you target any organization, no matter what their
policies are?”

Folds says he typically finds that most students prefer the
first two choices. And most are embarking on their first interviews for
internships or entry level positions, he says, so they’re already stressed.
Adding the LGBTQ component ratchets their anxiety even higher, he says.

“We’re not saying you should disclose, ‘Yes, I’m bisexual’ or
‘Yes, I’m a lesbian,'” Folds says. “We’re saying, ‘These are my skills,
qualities, and experiences that I’ve had via this community, and they’re
valuable skill sets for your organization.'”

He says that some students worry about vocational
stereotypes, such as gay men being perceived as more suitable for feminine jobs
and lesbians being perceived as more suitable for masculine ones.

Those concerns may have historical roots. LGBTQ historians
have found that gays often pursued some vocations, such as floral design and
hairdressing, out of a necessity to be self-employed.

Joel Simkhai, founder and CEO of the online gay social
network Grindr said as much in a recent Inc.com interview. Before starting
Grindr, Simkhai said he questioned whether his sexual orientation might prevent
him from being successful in the corporate world.

Folds
says he urges students not to limit their career choices because
he’s seen a shift in corporate culture during the last 10 years.

“Out for Work is supported by about 40 Fortune 500 companies
and they come to us to find ways to recruit LGBTQ specific candidates as a
component of their diversity recruitment model,” Folds says. “They’re looking
for different ways to attract talent other than just going to the college
career fairs every year. They want to know how else they can target this
community for the jobs they have.”

Growth industries like aerospace, health care, and the
STEM-related fields are looking for this diverse talent, he says.

And some of the push to attract LGBTQ workers comes from
employees within these companies.

“They want people to know that this is an inclusive place to
work, that you can bring your whole self to work, and this is a top organization
for LGBTQ individuals,” he says.

Students also have to do their homework, Folds says. For
example, when working with students who are pursuing careers in education, he
says, they should know if the state or municipality provides protections for
LGBTQ individuals.

“What is the district’s nondiscrimination policy?” Folds
says. “Are there any LGBTQ groups within the system? Can you network with other
individuals within that school to find out what the climate is for someone who
identifies as LGBTQ?”

Though Folds says he doesn’t tell students they can’t be
closeted, he does say that it may be getting harder due to social media. And
being closeted carries its own message.

“We’re not saying you should be running in with your rainbow
flag every day,” he says. “But just being yourself and taking your whole self
to work benefits both the employee and the employer.”

This article appears in Apr 2-8, 2014.