Working 'Out' - I recently read a treatise about coming out at work yesterday, and then I saw an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal (reg. req.) that made me want to weigh in on the topic myself.

The article is entitled "Amid Gay Marriage Debate, Companies Offer More Benefits to Same-Sex Couples" and while talking about benefits it also offers some specific statistics about gays in the workplace. "Among the 6% to 7% of the population who identify themselves as gay or lesbian in polls, 60% reveal their sexual orientiation to co-workers, says Wes Combs of Witeck-Combs Communications, a Washington, D.C., marketing firm. That compares with the 93% who are 'out' to friends."

Proportion of gay workers who would feel comfortable...

Displaying a photo of their partner at work: 2002 = 28% | 2003 = 44%

Discussing their social life at work: 2002 = 35% | 2003 = 54%

Introducing their partner to co-workers: 2002 = 35% | 2003 = 51%

Introducing their partner to the boss: 2002 = 32% | 2003 = 48%

All of these statistics beg the question, how do you define being "out at work"? If your co-workers know you're gay, but your boss doesn't, are you "out at work"? What about clients or external partners that you interact with?

I've been out at the three jobs I've had since graduating college. One was an gay-friendly retail (oxymoron, no?) company where I had many homo coworkers. The second was a small, crappy dot.com startup. Out of a staff of about 40, there was one lesbian and me...a surprisingly small percentage for a company located in San Francisco! Finally, at my current job, there are about 100 employees, and as far as I can tell, I'm the only gay person who works here. So I haven't really had the opportunity to band together with other gay coworkers to test the waters before coming out at work.

But even in the span of the 90 miles between the Bay Area and Sacramento, I've certainly noticed shift in the word choice of coworkers when asking about my personal life. Instead of asking "Do you have a significant other?" the question is posed, "Are you married?" or "Do you have a wife?" Subtle differences, but semantics play a big part in how I would chose to answer the questions. Depending on my audience, I might choose to answer the question with a simple yes or no, or delve into a lengthier response. "No, I'm not married" is a lot different than "No, I'm not married but I've been with my partner Kevin for the past six years." I've answered the question in both ways, and I can tell you that the latter response is much less likely to leave me feeling guilty for not being entirely forthcoming.

I really wish that there was more data to analyze so that we could assess a long-term change in the attitudes of gays in the workforce. Do the WSJ statistics strike you as accurate? Do you think that things really changed that dramatically between 2002 and 2003?