Black LGBTQ+ employees face high levels of discrimination and harassment in the workplace, according to a new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Approximately half (51%) of Black LGBTQ workers have faced discrimination or harassment at work because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. This includes being fired, not hired, not promoted, or experiencing verbal, physical, or sexual harassment due to their LGBTQ status.
Despite federal nondiscrimination protections, 15% of Black LGBTQ employees reported being fired, not hired, or denied promotions due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Many report engaging in actions to avoid discrimination and harassment, including hiding their sexual orientation or gender identity or changing their appearance or behaviors. Over one-third (38%) of employees are not out to their current supervisors, and nearly one in five (19%) are not out to any of their coworkers.
Results show that Black LGBTQ employees are more likely to experience discrimination and harassment than white LGBTQ+ employees (27%). More than four in 10 Asian American LGBTQ employees have experienced harassment or discrimination, additional research from the Willimas Institute has found.
“Like the general population of Black adults in the U.S., Black LGBTQ adults are more likely to live in the Southeast, a region with some of the least protective laws and social support for LGBTQ people,” says lead author Brad Sears, distinguished senior scholar of law and policy at the Williams Institute. “Furthermore, Black LGBTQ workers face discrimination stemming from multiple marginalized identities, including their race and LGBTQ status, highlighting the need for policies that address intersecting and overlapping forms of discrimination.”
Additional key findings include the following.
- Approximately 59% of Black LGBTQ adults in the workforce are under the age of 35, and 81% are under the age of 45.
- Over half (60%) of Black LGBTQ adults identify as bisexual, while 38% identify as lesbian or gay.
- Over one-third (35%) of Black LGBTQ employees report that they have left a job because of how their employer treated them based on their LGBTQ status.
- Due to the workplace environment for LGBTQ people, 18% of Black LGBTQ employees considered leaving their current jobs, and of those, two-thirds (67%) had taken steps towards finding another job.
