Panel: OK to be 'out' at work

Gay, lesbian and bisexual students considered what it would mean to be "out" on the job at a panel discussion and question-and-answer period last Wednesday with four gay professionals. The presentation kicked off a three-part program sponsored by Career Services and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Center entitled "Out in the Workplace," a bi-annual event since 1983. Its goal, according to LGBC Director Bob Schoenberg, is to "help students understand how people in the workplace manage sexual identity issues." Panelist Roberto McClin, an area engineer who selected his corporation on the basis of its treatment of gay people, said "everybody, from the person who opens the door to the chief executive officer of our corporation knows that I'm gay." Family practitioner and panelist Rick Levine, who is a member of the Gay Lesbian Medical Association, advised students to "find people in the workplace who are gay-friendly and start from there." The decision to come out on the job is a personal one, according to the panelists, but teacher Amy Reichbach warned that "if the work environment is unfriendly so that someone wants to be out but can't, that's a problem." While sexual orientation undoubtedly remains a contentious issue in the work force, Career Services Director Pat Rose emphasized that "it's a good time for lesbian, gay [or] bisexual people to be embarking on careers." Career counselor Becky Ross indicated that lesbian, gay and bisexual students' career aspirations may be shaped by their perceptions of certain professions being "more conservative." Erin Cross, program coordinator of the LGBC, hoped to diffuse this notion with the message that "being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered won't limit anybody in their career choices." The two remaining components of the "Out in the Workplace" program, to be held on February 10 and February 17, will deal with sexual orientation in academia and in the business world, respectively. Students who attended Wednesday's event expressed hesitation about the prospect of coming out during job interviews or in the workplace, predicting that their openness would depend on the attitudes of their colleagues. Engineering sophomore Kurt Klinger said he would research a company's discrimination record before deciding whether to come out as an employee. But not all students present were seeking an already amenable environment.E Several participants concurred that the next important step in improving the situation facing gay people, lesbians and bisexuals in the workplace is to develop non-discrimination policies and petition for domestic partner benefits.

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