LGBT women 30% less likely to get a job

Women from the LGBT community are 30 percent less likely to receive a call back on job applications compared to their straight counterparts, according to a new survey by students at New York University.

In Discrimination Against Queer Women in the U.S. Workforce: A Resume Audit Study, two fictitious résumés by female candidates similar in experience and quality were created and used to apply for more than 800 administrative jobs found on online databases from companies across four different areas (New York, Washington D.C, Tennessee and Virginia).

There was one major difference in the résumés, however. One of them had an LGBT indicator in the form of leadership experience at an LGBT student organization, to imply that she was part of the LGBT community, the other had a similar role in a non-LGBT organization.

Both résumés were sent side by side within two business days of each other in response to online job applications. The application with the LGBT indicator received 30 percent less call backs than non-LGBT women.

Currently in the U.S. it is legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity in 28 states. That’s more than half. While there is some federal recourse through civil rights and equal employment claims, there’s no national anti-discrimination law to protect LGBT workers from state whims. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits job discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion and nation of origin, but does not extend those protections to LGBT people.

Even though 2015 was a huge year for LGBT equality, there is still a long road ahead of us. Use these landmark decisions and laws as a platform to scream at the top of your lungs about issues that matter. This is not the time to rest, ladies and gentlemen.