Big banks have been among the most vol supporters of gay rights the workplace. Many LGBT bankers ld the progrs but say diversy efforts still sometim fall short.
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GAY BANKERS, ONCE SILENT, SPEAK OF PROGRS AND HURDL
* gay bankers association *
The buttoned-up ranks of predomantly straight whe men who n the bankg world are makg more room for their gay and lbian lleagu.
But as is mon wh the dtry's other diversy efforts, this one still falters somewhere between the soarg rhetoric and the on-the-ground the posive si, big banks have ma signifint stris shuttg down the equently overt discrimatn gay and lbian employe once faced, bankers say. No big-bank chief executiv are openly gay, and rank-and-file bank employe say some gay and lbian workers still hate to e out. Stephanz was speakg on the sil of the third annual "Out on the Street" nference, an event voted to lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr equaly on Wall Street.
Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfe prid over this year's event, which by cince took place on the same day that Jason Colls of the Natnal Basketball Associatn beme the first active male player a major sport to e nference, and the largely posive reactn to the news om Colls, reflect the extent to which attus about homosexualy and acceptance of openly gay and lbian people have changed the fancial world and cheerful, nametag-filled atmosphere at Out on the Street last week seemed light-years removed om the turn of the century, when workg groups of gay Wall Streeters kept members' nam secret.
Gay Mortgage Lenr Directory – LGBTQ and LGBTQ iendly mortgage loan officers all 50 stat, Canada and Internatnally. * gay bankers association *
A top Merrill Lynch analyst at the time told New York Magaze that she didn't know of any gay lleagu her 10, 000-person the LeadBanks still face the ocsnal lawsu for allegedly discrimatg agast gay employe and ctomers. More broadly, however, fancial servic pani have received much-weled posive publicy for beg among the bt plac for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people to work. "There were certa areas where you uld be gay and thrive, and there were certa areas where you uld not, " he Indtry DividWhen LGBT members ld the bankg dtry for creatg a welg environment, they're ually talkg about big stutns.
Several senr executiv at big banks have e out recent years, and straight CEOs have publicly supported LGBT JPMan Chase, for example, chief spokman Joe Evangelisti says that about 10% of the bank's top 50 executiv are gay or lbian.
Evangelisti, who is gay, adds that CEO Jamie Dimon "go out wh me and my partner, he to the [bank-sponsored LGBT] events … 's not tolerated to be unfair to any group of people. "In my entire time the dtry, 20 years, I never met another gay bank CEO and rarely met another gay senr executive, " says Bill Doni, the former chief executive and chairman of Pulaski Bank St. 4 billn-asset pany pots out that bankg's CEO ranks are notably lackg female and mory members, as well as those who are openly gay.