Being able to be yourself in the workplace

AS A STUDENT of law in the early 2000s, I had the privilege of studying South Africa’s wonderfully full and comprehensive Constitution.

At the time I knew that I was gay, but I was not yet out of the closet. This was something that, at times, would consume me. I would read about the brave people who championed the inclusion of LGBT+ rights in the Constitution and through the courts.

These heroes put their names and their faces behind this cause and ensured that it was no longer the case where a member of the LGBT+ community could be jailed, or discriminated against.

Steeled with the fortitude of these brave individuals, I came out of the closet. I expected the worst. I received the best. I was so grateful that the people who mattered to me actually didn’t care.

On entering the workplace, I never tried to hide who I was, and I was never faced with any issues about my sexual orientation.

Being at Norton Rose Fulbright, a global law firm, came with its advantages in regard to diversity and inclusion, one of them an emphasis placed on the rights and acceptance of LGBT+ people in the workplace.

I facilitated the setting-up of Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa’s LGBT+ network, Pride. I did this with the full support of the management of the firm, and thereafter, I reached out to other corporates with the intention of collaborating with their respective LGBT+ affinity groups.

It was at this stage that I realised how few corporates have LGBT+ affinity networks, and even more alarmingly, how many members of the LGBT+ community were afraid to be out in the workplace, and further were of the view that their employers would shut down any attempt to create such a network.

The LGBT+ community is different from other minority groups. Unlike differences of race or gender, different sexual orientation or gender identity can be hidden. It is standard practice, and indeed legally required, for a corporate to adopt policies which prohibit discrimination in the workplace.

The truth is that in any workplace, there will be bigots. These individuals, in order to keep their jobs, will modify their behaviour so as not to fall foul of the policies that govern them. The situation exists, however, where a person who is not out at the workplace may be subjected to commentary or may even find themselves in a conversation with a colleague who has bigoted views about LGBT+ people.

This type of behaviour is not only directly offensive but may also create the impression that their workplace is not a safe place to be themselves. Where an LGBT+ employee feels that they are not able to be themselves in the workplace, it has knock-on effects as that employee may be preoccupied with keeping their identity secret, which may impact on their productivity.

The flip side of this is equally powerful. Where an LGBT+ employee is able to bring their full selves to work, not only will they be in a position to fully apply themselves to their tasks at hand, but they will also bring a different voice to the room.

The LGBT+ community has, over time, mastered the art of hiding. This has been our greatest survival mechanism. In South Africa, where every legal protection exists on paper for the LGBT+ community, it is up to corporates, and those individuals within corporates, to ensure that the working environment is one where it is a safe and accepting place for members of the LGBT+ community to be themselves.

Forgan is Pride chairperson and a director at Norton Rose Fulbright.