Compare, for example, Browne\u2019s descriptions of May 1, 2007, the day that he resigned from BP after a U.K. court gave the Daily Mail permission to publish allegations of impropriety by a former boyfriend.<\/p>\n
In Beyond Business, Browne recounts his final departure from BP\u2019s London headquarters through the press scrum and into his car, with the sole expression of emotion the epitome of British understatement: \u201cIt was intrusive and unpleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the same moment in The Glass Closet:<\/p>\n
It felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the vehicle.<\/p>\n
Driving away from the corporation that I helped to build felt like dying. For decades, I dissembled and fenced off a large portion of my life to prevent all of this from happening. I had ducked and weaved and been evasive for as long as I could. But on that day, almost inevitably, my two worlds collided. In the fallout, I lost the job that had structured my entire life.<\/p>\n
After all those years of worry and dread, I could not help but think that my fears were finally justified. At that moment, I was convinced that I had been right all along.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That said, Browne, whose outspoken leadership on climate change and human rights inspired me to join BP, where I worked for nine years, won me over with his personal story but not his central argument. His book says that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees should come out openly at work.<\/p>\n
The problem is that the stories he tells of damage done to the careers of people who have come out are all too persuasive. Allan Gilmour lost the contest for the top job at Ford after 34 years with the company. Some suggested that his sexuality played a role in his being passed over. Vandy Beth Glenn was immediately fired from the Georgia General Assembly after sharing her intentions to transition from male to female.<\/p>\n
I was thoroughly convinced by Browne\u2019s discussion of, as he put it, \u201cthe consequences of being inauthentic.\u201d Browne weaves stories from other LGBT executives into his own to show how closeted staff have to keep their colleagues and business partners at a distance, making it impossible to build trust and explore the full potential of their professional selves.<\/p>\n
But then come the horror stories, which illustrate a reality that Browne acknowledges: \u201cI cannot say with certainty that someone\u2019s career will not be unaffected if they disclose their sexual orientation. I wish I could tell gay people that they will be fine, but the evidence collected here suggests that there remain some risks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Browne recounts one young woman telling him that his traumatic resignation from BP convinced her to remain in the closet at her oil and gas company, to which he responds: \u201cThis is the wrong lesson to draw from my experiences. The double life I led should not be seen as a workable blueprint for a business career. It should be viewed as a cautionary tale.\u201d But who is Browne to say that the conclusion anyone else derives for his or her own life is the wrong one?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe double life I led should not be seen as a workable blueprint for a business career.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Browne tries to counter the negative stories with positive evidence. But although there are anecdotes about individuals who came out at work and went on to professional success, most of \u201cThe Benefits of Coming Out,\u201d as one chapter is titled, accrue to companies for fostering an LGBT-friendly environment.<\/p>\n
The business case is certainly compelling. Browne suggests that straight potential employees see a company\u2019s treatment of LGBT employees as a signal of the company\u2019s culture more broadly. And there\u2019s the size of the LGBT market, which Browne asserts that companies can only access by walking the talk internally.<\/p>\n
![\"glasscloset\"](\"http:\/\/www.gmag360.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/glasscloset-674x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>He presents practical recommendations: Companies should establish policies benefiting same-sex partners and specifically prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; activate LGBT resource groups and allies; and use tools like anonymous employee surveys to track their progress. It\u2019s hard to imagine any company (Hobby Lobbys of the world aside) arguing that such measures aren\u2019t a good idea. But Browne\u2019s point is that too many companies fold LGBT protections into general nondiscrimination policies, which isn\u2019t good enough to specifically address homophobia and make LGBT employees feel protected. He cites one U.S. survey in which 80 percent of LGBT respondents said that when applying for a job it was \u00abvery important\u00bb or \u00abfairly important\u00bb that the potential employer have a LGBT equality and diversity policy in place.<\/p>\n