06-03-2018, 11:42 PM
How Microsoft and its LGBTQ+ employees push for change across borders
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/how-microsoft-and-its-lgbtq-employees-push-for-change-across-borders.jpg" width="768" height="1024" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>It lends support when possible through empowering employees such as Cathy Balcer, GLEAM chapter lead in Singapore, who joined with other companies to promote “freedom to love” nights all over the city; Andrea Llamas, GLEAM lead in Mexico, who helped Microsoft officially join a local network of companies that are LGBTQ+ friendly; and Nidhi Singh, Roland White, Bibaswan Dash, and Mike Emery, who helped launched the first GLEAM chapter in India, which garnered 100 employee members in its first week.</p>
<p>Aside from pushing for social change and increased protections, around the globe, Microsoft is also working to drive inclusion in the technology industry for all, including people who are LGBTQ+.</p>
<p>Women account for 24 percent of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs, according to the Economics and Statistics Administration’s 2017 numbers.</p>
<p><img class="wp-image-34476" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/how-microsoft-and-its-lgbtq-employees-push-for-change-across-borders.jpg" alt="" width="381" height="508" />Chen was initially worried that she would have be closeted to survive a corporate work environment. But when her teammates showed genuine interest in her life and weren’t at all bothered by her sexuality, she decided she was never going to hide her real self for a job again.</p>
<p>“If you’re LGBT and minority, you’re in a double bind. If you’re in a minority and LGBT and a woman, you’re in a triple bind,” said Rochelle Diamond, chair of the board of directors of the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals.</p>
<p>That’s why Microsoft supports organizations like <a href="https://outleadership.com/">Out Leadership</a>, which works to fill more C-suite level jobs with LGBTQ+ talent. Microsoft employees attend events like the <a href="https://lesbianswhotech.org/newyork2018/">Lesbians Who Tech</a> summit, which connects lesbians and helps them build a network of colleagues, associates, and friends in the industry in addition to championing the representation of out lesbian women in the field.</p>
<p>It was that very summit helped spark Chen’s own personal awakening.</p>
<p>“Shortly after I started, I was out to my immediate team and manager, but I was living as a software engineer who also happened to be gay,” said Chen. “It wasn’t a part of who I was at work, just kind of like a fun fact about me.”</p>
<p>Chen had heard about the Lesbians Who Tech summit and wanted to check it out. She was trepidatious when she asked her manager, unsure how taking time off work solely to understand how what it means to be gay in the workplace might be perceived. To her delight, her manager was all in.</p>
<p>“My being queer was seen by management as important and worth the funding to explore what that meant for me,” she said.</p>
<p>When Chen started at Microsoft as an intern, she initially worried that she would have be closeted to survive a corporate work environment. But when her teammates showed genuine interest in her life and weren’t at all bothered by her sexuality, Chen decided she was never going to hide her real self for a job again.</p>
<p>“Now, I try to include this perspective in every discussion I have. I want to be the representation that I was so sorely missing growing up.”</p>
</div>
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/how-microsoft-and-its-lgbtq-employees-push-for-change-across-borders.jpg" width="768" height="1024" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>It lends support when possible through empowering employees such as Cathy Balcer, GLEAM chapter lead in Singapore, who joined with other companies to promote “freedom to love” nights all over the city; Andrea Llamas, GLEAM lead in Mexico, who helped Microsoft officially join a local network of companies that are LGBTQ+ friendly; and Nidhi Singh, Roland White, Bibaswan Dash, and Mike Emery, who helped launched the first GLEAM chapter in India, which garnered 100 employee members in its first week.</p>
<p>Aside from pushing for social change and increased protections, around the globe, Microsoft is also working to drive inclusion in the technology industry for all, including people who are LGBTQ+.</p>
<p>Women account for 24 percent of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs, according to the Economics and Statistics Administration’s 2017 numbers.</p>
<p><img class="wp-image-34476" src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/how-microsoft-and-its-lgbtq-employees-push-for-change-across-borders.jpg" alt="" width="381" height="508" />Chen was initially worried that she would have be closeted to survive a corporate work environment. But when her teammates showed genuine interest in her life and weren’t at all bothered by her sexuality, she decided she was never going to hide her real self for a job again.</p>
<p>“If you’re LGBT and minority, you’re in a double bind. If you’re in a minority and LGBT and a woman, you’re in a triple bind,” said Rochelle Diamond, chair of the board of directors of the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals.</p>
<p>That’s why Microsoft supports organizations like <a href="https://outleadership.com/">Out Leadership</a>, which works to fill more C-suite level jobs with LGBTQ+ talent. Microsoft employees attend events like the <a href="https://lesbianswhotech.org/newyork2018/">Lesbians Who Tech</a> summit, which connects lesbians and helps them build a network of colleagues, associates, and friends in the industry in addition to championing the representation of out lesbian women in the field.</p>
<p>It was that very summit helped spark Chen’s own personal awakening.</p>
<p>“Shortly after I started, I was out to my immediate team and manager, but I was living as a software engineer who also happened to be gay,” said Chen. “It wasn’t a part of who I was at work, just kind of like a fun fact about me.”</p>
<p>Chen had heard about the Lesbians Who Tech summit and wanted to check it out. She was trepidatious when she asked her manager, unsure how taking time off work solely to understand how what it means to be gay in the workplace might be perceived. To her delight, her manager was all in.</p>
<p>“My being queer was seen by management as important and worth the funding to explore what that meant for me,” she said.</p>
<p>When Chen started at Microsoft as an intern, she initially worried that she would have be closeted to survive a corporate work environment. But when her teammates showed genuine interest in her life and weren’t at all bothered by her sexuality, Chen decided she was never going to hide her real self for a job again.</p>
<p>“Now, I try to include this perspective in every discussion I have. I want to be the representation that I was so sorely missing growing up.”</p>
</div>