Does being LGBT or being associated with LGBT really hinder getting a job?

Unfortunately in some places, that is the case.

 

Sadly yes, it does. Though I look at it as I wouldn't really want to do business with someone who has a Transphobic or homophobic mindset. :\

 

Unless you live in New York, California, or any New England state, yes.

But in an area where diversity is encourage it increases your chances.
Just move to Canada

 

:O OMG YOU LIVE NEAR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just live near a city like Rochester or Buffalo, and avoid any kind of job a Conservative may be the boss of.

 

I'm probably one of the exceptions here in Illinois. Just about everyone I've been recommended by knows I'm LGBT, and I might end up editing for Illinois Unites for Marriage sometime in the near future. At the same time though, I might be staying with the other two companies I promised to edit for.

So, for me it almost seems that being LGBT kinda... improved my chances? I dunno.

I just saw you're in the film industry. The film industry doesn't. give. a. shit. about your sexual orientation. Most people are simply artists who want to do the best at what they do. The film industry is also VERY open to LGBT advocates. Perhaps putting that back on your LinkdIn is actually a better choice.

 

It's a combination of this ...

---------- Post added 22nd Aug 2013 at 03:48 PM ----------

... and this, more or less ...

---------- Post added 22nd Aug 2013 at 03:49 PM ----------

... and even this, having experienced this one. There was a shuffling of positions and I got "lucky." Had he interviewed me, I would have never taken the position.

 

Depends a lot where. I work in a recruitment agency, and have done for several years now, so know a little about jobs 'n' stuff.

At the end of the day you have to consider who is reading it, and what are they looking for. It's experience, and that's good. It's also charity stuff, which can be good or bad, but that's not really important to this. HOWEVER, there are always going to be some people, no matter where you live, even if it's in the most lgbt friendly place on the planet, that are going to think less of you for it, even if only subconciously.

You basically have to decide whether it's worth it to you. Do you have a CV full of really great stuff, tons of experience, tons of qualifications, a bag full of glowing references? If so, then you probably don't need to show you can do charity work too, in which case I'd suggest getting rid of any mention, as it's unlikely to improve anyone's opinion, but there's always the odd person who's going to be put off it.

Equally, if you have no experience other than that, no qualifications worth speaking of, etc etc, then I'd suggest leaving it, as without it you're going to be less employable to everybody, not just bigots. With it, you at least have some experience, and the people who won't hire you because it's LGBT related probably wern't going to hire you if you left it off anyway.

End of the day, there are a lot of really petty people out there who would turn you away for something like that, but for everyone one of those, there is a bunch of people who really just want someone who can do the job they're recruiting for.

Hope that helps a little!

xx

 

Wait, so it's a factory job working on film equipment..? Help me out here.

 

It would really depend on the area. For example, here in Oklahoma there are no LGBT discrimination laws. So, yes, it'd be a bad idea. However, if you were in a state that has LGBT discrimination laws, you'd be better off. I, for example, intend to get through university, then move to a LGBT friendly state so that I can start transitioning.

 

I'm honestly happy someone brought this up Ian. Honestly, my mom has this thought process that my going to the gay club will result in me not getting a job at a major news network when it's not like any of said network people are at the club. And she also thinks this one news director has changed his mind about having an intern because someone told him about my being gay (I ran into one of the reporters at Pride in my city, I had my camera around my neck just as she did so it's not like I was just there, I was working too as a photographer there). I just...I'll admit it worries me too but I'm after networks like CTV or CBC or ABC or NBC. But she seems to think people like Anderson Cooper, Ellen Degeneres, Jenna Wolfe (lesbian woman on Today on NBC) and such when they came out bad things happened :S (Jenna Wolfe when she talked about her partner and her having a baby was moved to not being a lead anchor...but if mom did research she'd actually find out Jenna was already on the way out before the coming out and it was actually because the new anchor gets along better with the current one.) But yeah I worry too but more just get frustrated over my mom's stance on the news industry.

 

I work in corporate America and at least among the major corporations (Fortune 500 and the like) most companies have non-discrimination policies and (in my experience) most people either don't care or will want to meet your boyfriend/partner.

I've worked for three different Fortune 500 companies, two of which have written non-discrimination policies and extend benefits to same-sex partners or spouses. I current work for a company that deals with about 50 different major corporations or other organizations (10,000 employees is a small client by our standards). Nearly all of them (say over 90%) have non-discrimination policies. My boss and co-workers all know about me and my partner, he's been to the dept. holiday party along with all the other spouses, he's on my benefits, etc.

My partner has done some work in the TV and film industry and in college level technical theater before that. He was also the faculty advisor to the campus LGBT organization at one job and that is on his CV. Neither industry cares about orientation for the most part although there will always be exceptions.

If you're going to be job hunting in your local area and you know it's conservative and are concerned, then maybe leave it off. But you also mentioned you're moving soon (presumably to a more liberal area), so maybe put it back on after you do so.

Hope this helps,

Todd

 

I mean if you look for work where you want to live, ideally a place with a sizeable lgbt population and a decent amount of tolerance (like there are laws against this discrimination), your odds of being excluded goes down. Some will see your volunteer work as a positive. Honestly i would not work at a place that's like a 2nd high school, so if they want to hold it against me, that's quite all right.

 

I dunno, what do people think about the news industry. Is anyone in a major network or w/e who might have insight into this on here? I mean I'm not planning on screaming to the rooftops but my Mom (who has general anxiety disorder) tends to want to control everything and so she thinks my going to the gay bar in town could put me at risk for not getting a job. I've told her I think she's blowing it way out of proportion, I mean it's not like news agencies have scouts in gay bars to hunt out who's gay lol...but like I said that one news director seems to have changed his tune from wanting an intern to not (but like I told her, he was sounding very stressed over the phone before he even knew it was me so I kind of feel a lot changed, plus it was an entire month since him and I last chatted and two months since he said he definitely wants an intern, a lot can change in two months after all).

But yeah if anyone's in the news agency already...let me know if I should watch out for anything (aside from FOX News LOL)

 

YE, disneyland is in califonia, and disney would get their a$$E$ sued if they discriminated like that

 

No matter what legal protections there are, it is always a risk being a gender and/or sexual minority. The same goes for women and racial minorities. Discrimination is often more subtle than being fired because you're gay. You can't complain before you're employed, and a slower than reasonable career progress can be very difficult to report as discrimination.

 

I got told to take 'cake decorating' off of my CV, because it made me sound gay.

But I didn't in the end, because apparently one time, a person got a giant scholarship because he mentioned he bakes cakes. So, might as well just be myself, it's not really right to lie, whatever the circumstances.