#Lesbian day of visibility full#
#Lesbian day of visibility professional#

While some people may truly prefer separating their personal and professional lives, my heart aches for those who want to be seen and cannot. This figure drops to 21% among those in senior leadership positions. Recent research from Accenture on how LGBTI people are faring in the workplace found that only 31% of LGBTI employees are fully open about their gender identity/expression or sexual orientation at work. For many LGBTI employees, being visible remains unattainable for many reasons. I wish I could say that my story is an artifact of a bygone era, but I can’t claim that, not yet. Fortunately, I found a culture where that was possible.

Finally, I reached a point where I simply had to be who I truly was every day. While I racked up achievements, the burden of hiding weighed on me until I burned out. I had worked so hard in every way to compensate for the feeling that if I were known and seen, I would be rejected. But my outward confidence masked the extreme effort it took to hide the fact that I was gay. I spent the first years of my career being bold, being vocal, and claiming a seat at the table – I had the privilege of never feeling that being a woman held me back. I know from personal experience the freedom and benefit of taking the leap and revealing who you are. I’m also continually energized by the work of our 100,000+ global Pride at Accenture community that provides specialized training, networking support, and mentoring for our LGBTI people to help create a workplace where everyone can feel like they belong and thrive.īut while we know the benefits of a culture of inclusion – thriving people, business growth, and innovation – sometimes we forget that to be seen requires two people: one person seeing and the other person taking the brave step of revealing who they are. We are seen, heard, and valued, which helps us grow and thrive along with our business.

#Lesbian day of visibility full#

I’m fortunate to work each day at a company that values ensuring every one of our 530,000+ employees can bring their full selves to work. As we mark this year’s Lesbian Day of Visibility, I find myself reflecting on the word “visibility.” To be visible is to be seen.