Coming out as gay or lesbian can be dangerous at work. In many countries, homosexuality is taboo.
Being gay or lesbian is not a big deal in Germany in 2019. Homosexuals in this country also have to struggle with discrimination in their job and everyday life. However, the General Equal Treatment Act protects everyone’s sexual identity.
However, when companies post-gay managers or employees abroad, different rules apply. Is a sales expert opening up new markets in the United Arab Emirates? An engineer to advise the Saudi government? Or a software specialist helping a Pakistani customer? This can be tricky for gay or lesbian specialists and managers.
Homosexuals face the death penalty in twelve countries
“The risks are considerable,” says Stuart Cameron of the Uhlala Group, which has campaigned for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) rights in the workplace for more than ten years. To this day, the registered partnership or gay marriage is invalid in many countries. For example with important German trading partners such as China, India, or Russia.
But that’s not all: Around 70 countries have laws against LGBT. In Myanmar, gays or lesbians can end up in prison for life for holding hands in public. In twelve countries, including the next World Cup host city, Qatar, but also in Iran and the United Arab Emirates, there is even a death penalty. Stoning is still going on in the Sultanate of Brunei in Southeast Asia.
Orientation – also for business travelers – is offered, for example, by the annual “Gay Travel Index” of the gay travel portal “Spartacus”. Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia are currently considered the most anti-gay regions in the world. “Most German employers have no idea. The subject of sexual orientation and identity is often a taboo, ”says expert Cameron.
Best homosexual destinations
Canada, Portugal, Sweden
(Source: “Spartacus” travel portal)
Riskiest gay destinations
Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Iran and the Russian Republic of Chechnya
(Source: “Spartacus” travel portal)
A trick that is now often used: Foreigners bring their same-sex partners with them as cooks, nannies or chauffeurs. Another tip: If the partner does not work abroad himself, he can enroll as a student at a local university in order to obtain a right to stay.
It has now been 25 years since Paragraph 175 was deleted from the Criminal Code without replacement and homosexuality was legalized in Germany, but a recent study by the career network LinkedIn among LGBT people shows great reluctance: 32 percent of those surveyed said they were not openly or not at all Workplace dealing with their sexuality.
Overall, around five to ten percent of all employees in a company are homosexual. Sure, it’s basically none of your boss’s business whether an employee likes men or a colleague likes women. It’s a private matter. But some people keep a low profile for good reason: 23 percent of those surveyed have already experienced discrimination at work due to their sexual orientation, i.e. they have been the target of gay jokes or even physical attacks.
Twelve percent of the survey participants even endured this currently. The motto: “Don’t attract attention.” This is all the more true when specialists or executives travel abroad for work: In an international survey by the US market researcher Wakefield Research this summer, 97 percent of LGBT business travelers stated that they were sexual Hiding identity on business trips. A total of 7,850 people from 22 countries took part in the survey.
Play with open cards at your own employer
In China, homosexuality is no longer a crime. And there is no pronounced gay hatred there, as in Russia, Turkey, or many Arab countries. If you are going to work in these regions, it is even more important to provide the employer with specific information.
LGBT personnel expert Cameron advises homosexual specialists and executives before going abroad in conservative countries: “Don’t take any risks, but deal openly with your private situation and come out to the management or someone you trust in the company.”
In the age of smartphones and social media, the situation for lesbians and gays is getting even worse. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the police in some countries monitor websites, mobile dating apps, and other online meeting places. The security forces of some countries such as Egypt even target lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals in a targeted manner via fake accounts.
In addition, publicly displayed gestures of same-sex love, even if they come from a foreigner, can put locals in danger – and also endanger their jobs and families.
