Billie Jean King admitted to a lesbian affair, becoming the first prominent professional female athlete known to be gay or lesbian. Thanks to King’s courage, thousands of American athletes, both men and women, have voluntarily come out of the closet, most recently Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, the first openly gay NBA player, and women’s basketball phenomenon Brittney Griner.
Off the courts, corporations and individuals are increasingly embracing LGBT status as an emerging career asset. Yet CTI research ( “The Power of Out 2.0: LGBT in the Workplace”) finds that despite advances in workplace acceptance, 41 percent of American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers remain closeted at the office. Given the increased productivity and lower turnover rates of “out” workers, organizations have a bottom-line incentive to create a workplace where LGBT workers feel accepted, valued and comfortable being who they are.
Meanwhile, hats off to Billie Jean for breaking the barrier!
