Last Friday 200,000 people participated in the Gay Pride parade in Tel Aviv. Among the marchers were families with children, high school students and retirees, and gay pride flags could be seen in every corner of the city. But Margaliot admits that this demonstration of strength doesn’t necessarily represent the feeling of workers who belong to the community. He said that there was a long period in his professional life when he didn’t feel entirely comfortable announcing his lifestyle in the workplace. [...]
When asked why it’s important, Margaliot replies simply: “In the workplace, all over the world and in Israel in particular, people also talk about their private lives. As opposed to other populations such as women, the ultra-Orthodox or Arabs, it’s not always easy to tell who’s LGBT. People around you automatically assume that you’re straight. If an employee is asked what he did over the weekend and begins to think how not to tell that he was in a guest house with his male partner, he finds himself hiding and lying. I also had many years when I found ways to lie in order to bypass the subject – like talking about the children without mentioning my partner. As an employer, I don’t want the employees to waste resources on lies and inventions, and want them to feel comfortable being who they are in the workplace.” [...]
A survey conducted by the Economy Ministry in 2014 indicated that members of the LGBT community have reason to fear exposure in the workplace: 60-70 percent of transgender people reported discrimination in the process of hiring and in promotions; 18-20 percent of other members of the community reported a feeling of discrimination. Grembek and Seeff claim that often these are not deliberate processes, but rather old-fashioned views that the employers have difficulty leaving behind.
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