The Bright Side of Businesses Clumsily Embracing Pride

It used to be, and it wasn’t that long ago, downright dangerous to attend a Pride event. Why? Because LGBTQ+ people ran the risk of being fired if their employers saw their picture in the paper, saw them on TV, or walked by at an inopportune time. That’s why I never went to a Pride event during the first 15 years of my professional career. I worried if someone from work saw me, what would they say? Or worse, what would they do?

In addition to not going to Pride events because it might jeopardize my career, I also had to pretend I had girlfriends at work, go to strip bars with the guys and clients after work, hide the fact that I lived with my boyfriend, and go along with the plethora of gay jokes that floated around the office like germs. And to top it off, the only place you would see a rainbow flag was inside of a gay bar, rarely outside. Read Full Article »