Nov

10

Mormons Back Gay Rights in Salt Lake City . . . Sorta

Filed Under Employment, LGBT, Religion | Leave a Comment

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supported two proposed Salt Lake City ordinances protecting gay and lesbian residents from housing and employment discrimination, but only because the law does not “do violence to the institution of marriage.”

Umm, what?

It seems this particular group of Mormons are willing to protect the rights of LGBT people – as long as they don’t plan on asking for gay marriage rights. What happens if Utah residents pass pro gay marriage laws? Will these Mormons no longer protect the LGBT community from housing and employment discrimination?

Aug

13

Should You Omit Your Gay Related Work Experience From Your Resume?

Filed Under Business, Employment, Gays, LGBT, Twitter | 6 Comments

If you’re like millions of Americans, you’ve been job hunting for awhile. If you’re not job hunting yet, your chances of becoming unemployed in the future are pretty damn good. After reading a forum post on GayWallet.com where a member expressed her job hunting frustrations, it prompted the following question: If you have work experience related to a gay or lesbian business, are you adding that experience to your resume – or are you omitting it because you fear negative responses from hiring managers and human resource personnel?

Some of my Twitter followers replied:

clarekrmiller – Not sure if this is what you mean, but I have my leadership with my college’s GLBTQ club on my resume

Biodana – I don’t hide or lie but the resume/cv is not explicitly lavender either. I would be out during parts of the interview, tho’

RevJArthurRank – Personally, I would include any work on a resume.

not_tonight00 – my resume is all lgbtq-related stuff.. if i omitted the queer things, i wouldnt have much of a resume

AresandEros – I have lots of LGBT items on my resume, instead I say “Pride” or “diversity” and then i open up about the LGBT at the interview

SaRaDestruction – It would depend on what type of job it is wheather or not I hide it or tell

scoutout – I wouldn’t have a resume if I hid the LGBTQ stuff. It’d be my address, degrees, and then a blank page

lexoh – I’ve chosen to include past lgbtq leadership & activism experience. I figure I want to work for a progressive employer anyways

ChanelSaysSo – If i had any gay business related work to include, I would most definitely! I include my lgbt writing in my writing portfolio

jayd – I wouldn’t care if I had any, but I don’t

Matt Skallerud – founder of PinkBananaMedia.com, former owner of GayWired.com, LesbiaNation.com and GaySports.com – believes that in 2009 it’s still a personal choice for job seekers. While he feels it’s a lot safer than it used to be to add gay business related jobs and internships to your resume, he believes we have a long ways to go before it’s completely safe to associate yourself with gay businesses.

I have experience in employment recruiting/talent acquisition. In my experience, it’s safer to add gay business related work experience to your resume in areas like Atlanta, Chicago, New York and DC – but not so safe in other areas of the country. Of course, there are lots of Fortune 500 gay-friendly companies located in some not so favorable parts of the country that wouldn’t mind seeing gay related work experience on your resume. You can see a great list right here.

Jul

24

Would You Add Your Facebook Page To Your Job Application?

Filed Under Employment, Facebook, Lesbians, Social Media, Twitter | Leave a Comment

Twitter user iiHY posted the following video on YouTube:

I heard the “add your social network pages” feature was added to the new and improved CareerBuilder resume builder. I responded the same way: “Hell no.”

For awhile I kept my social network pages very clean, even though I never hid the fact that I was a lesbian. I did, however, avoid using my whole name on any social network since a current or future employer (or that nosey coworker in the cube next to you) can simply Google your name to find out everything about you. If I had a personal photo uploaded to a social network, I used only my first name.

After the last experience I had with corporate America, I decided the following:

1. I will use my whole name on every social network I join – even if I have a picture uploaded.
2. I will be as honest about who I am as possible; no watering down my content.
3. If an employer or potential client doesn’t want me because I’m a mouthy, outspoken, Black lesbian . . . to hell with ‘em.

Now, would I add my Facebook, Twitter, or GayWallet.com profile to a job application? Nope. Why make it easy for an employer to spy on me? That’s something they’ll have to work for.

I told my girlfriend that I realized I was a closet case for a long time. I tried to manipulate search engines to make sure my social network pages didn’t come up when someone Googled my name because I didn’t want them to see the word “lesbian” in print – right there on the internet for the whole world to see. Anyone who’s known me for the last 13 years would be shocked to learn that. I always bragged about being completely out. I wasn’t completely out until I stopped worrying about what people would find when they Googled me.

Jan

23

GayFranchise.com Offers LGBT Community Unique Opportunity

Filed Under Business, Employment, LGBT | Leave a Comment

In the SistersTalk mailbox this afternoon:

In January of 2008, Echelon Business Media Inc., owner of Echelonmagazine.com created GayFranchise.com to bridge the gap between mainstream franchisors and the LGBT community. This site offers a directory of over 60 franchise opportunities in various categories, from coffee shops to financial planning franchises.

Despite some in our community who profess a policy of privacy when it comes to their sexual orientation at work, who we are in all aspects of our lives, comes out at the office. Whether it be the office Christmas party, or telling people what you did over the weekend, or even requesting domestic partner benefits, our sexual orientation eventually comes out at work. If this has become a problem for you in the past, it is all the more reason to own your own business.

GayFranchise gets your sexual orientation out of the way from the get-go. Our franchises are looking for a diverse array of franchisees. Your fear of being outed is completely alleviated from the moment you request more information. Gay neighborhoods are sprouting up all of the U.S., and having a gay-owned franchise in these areas are an added plus to the franchise owner as well as the master franchise.

The clients within the GayFranchise directory are targeting their opportunity towards the Gay community for a variety of reasons. Most members of our community are more available as the majority of us don’t have children. The amount of people with a college education skews very high in most polls. We also have an understanding of “risk” as it is risky enough as it is to come out of the closet.

Choosing to own a franchise rather than starting a business from scratch poses many advantages. Franchises already possess brand exposure in the market. This is one of the toughest jobs of any new entrepreneur. It presents an immediate credibility and reliability with your future customers. There is also no need to create a business plan from scratch. You are buying a “business in a box” as each opportunity has a proven and consistent system for you to follow. Lastly, there is always someone in your corner. Training is provided and it’s always nice to be able to call someone for the answers.

GayFranchise also lists several vendors who can assist you in making your purchase. Whether it’s one of our Capital Partners, Consultants or Attorneys, these companies stand by to aid you making your franchise ownership a reality.

So let this year be about broadening your horizons by researching other opportunities to your current state of employment and being prepared for whatever may come your way.

Once you own a franchise, feel free to post an announcement at GayWallet.com – a community of LGBTQ people and straight people who support gay and gay-friendly companies and organizations.



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