🌈 The Real Cost of Excluding LGBTQIA+ People at Work

You’ve got LGBTQIA+ people in your life—whether you realize it or not. They're in your workplace. They're on your team. They're in your meetings. They’re part of your customer base.

And here's the kicker: many of them don’t feel safe being out. Not at work. Not with their manager. Sometimes not even with their colleagues. And that silence? That fear? That closeting?

It comes with a cost. A big one.

🧠 Visibility vs. Reality

It’s tempting to think, “Well, no one here is LGBTQIA+, so we must be doing okay.”
Spoiler: that’s not true.

Many people hide who they are because they’ve been taught—explicitly or implicitly—that being out as an LGBTQIA+ person means you may not be safe. That it will cost them career opportunities, credibility, or basic dignity.

When LGBTQIA+ folks aren’t visible in your workplace, it’s not proof of inclusivity. It’s often evidence of the opposite.

📉 What It Costs to Stay Closeted

Imagine this: You can’t talk about your weekend. You avoid photos on your desk. You rework sentences in real time to hide pronouns. You laugh awkwardly when someone assumes your partner is the opposite gender. You flinch when someone makes a “joke” at your expense.

Now do that every day, five days a week, for years.

This is the reality for many LGBTQIA+ employees who don’t feel safe being out at work. And it’s exhausting.

The Human Rights Campaign found that over 46% of LGBTQIA+ workers in the U.S. are still closeted at work. And research shows that being closeted leads to:

• Higher stress

• Lower engagement

• Reduced productivity

• Increased absenteeism

• Higher turnover

Inclusion isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a business one.

💼 The Business Case for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion

When people feel safe and supported at work, they thrive. It’s that simple.

Inclusive environments:
✅ Improve retention
✅ Boost innovation and collaboration
✅ Strengthen customer trust
✅ Attract top talent—especially from younger generations
✅ Reflect your company’s values in action, not just in marketing

According to Deloitte, employees who feel included are 80% more likely to report high job satisfaction and 4x more likely to stay.

So, if you’re not building a workplace where LGBTQIA+ people feel safe, affirmed, and valued, you’re paying for it in lost potential every single day.

🛠️ Inclusion Is More Than a Rainbow Logo

Visibility matters, yes. But real inclusion goes deeper. It’s about what people experience every day—not just what you post during June. Here’s what meaningful LGBTQIA+ inclusion looks like:

📝 Explicit Policies
Your non-discrimination policy should name sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Vague language helps no one.

🛠️ Benefits & Systems
Healthcare that covers transition-related care. Inclusive parental leave. Chosen name and pronoun support in HR systems.

🚻 Facilities
Gender-neutral washrooms. Full stop.

📣 Representation
LGBTQIA+ people in leadership. On stage. On panels. At the table. Not just invited—included.

🧠 Education
Train employees on inclusive language, allyship, and the impact of microaggressions. And make it mandatory, not optional.

🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏼 Safe Reporting Channels
People need to know that if something goes wrong, they’ll be heard—and protected.

🧭 You Don’t Need to “Understand” to Respect

You don’t have to know everything about every identity. You don’t need to be fluent in LGBTQIA+ lingo. You just need to be willing to learn, to listen, and to lead with respect.

Inclusion isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence. And consistency.

💥 The Bottom Line

There are LGBTQIA+ people in your life. Your organization. Your boardroom. They might not be out to you—but they’re there. And every choice you make signals whether it’s safe for them to show up fully.

Ignoring their reality doesn’t make it go away. It just makes you part of the problem. And it’s costing you money. Lots and lost of money.

But when you build spaces where LGBTQIA+ people feel seen, supported, and celebrated you don’t just unlock their potential. You create a workplace where everyone can thrive.

And that’s worth investing in.

Learn more about Michael’s speaking topic, Breaking Down the Numbers: The Cost of the Closet (aka The Business Case for LGBTQ2+ Inclusion).