Visibility for LGBTQ+ leaders has been central to many organizational efforts, rooted in the belief that being seen provides inspiration for emerging leaders and models for newer employees. However, new research from Out & Equal and Korn Ferry challenges the concept of visibility as an end goal, instead placing it as one of many tactics to amplify Queer leadership. Experiences of the Lavender Ceiling: Progress and Continued Challenges Facing Out LGBTQ+ Leaders at Work provides:
- an explanation of “the lavender ceiling” – a mix of overt and subtle bias, limiting stereotypes, and structural inequalities that cause LGBTQ+ career blockages;
- data on the power and challenges out leaders in organizations face, with attention to the differences between the impact of disclosing sexual orientation vs. gender identity and the intersection of race and LGBTQ+ identity;
- concrete organizational recommendations designed to reduce systemic bias, improve programs that support queer leaders, and evolve their responses to increased anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.