Across the world, LGBTQ+ communities are confronting a growing tsunami of hostility – laws targeting their identities, escalating social ostracism, and rhetoric that feels ripped straight from darker chapters of history. But there’s another battlefront, quieter yet no less fierce: the sleek, hushed boardrooms of corporate power. In Canada, as in much of the world, the lavender ceiling remains stubbornly intact, nearly invisible yet profoundly unyielding.Take this sobering statistic: among the more than 9,300 directors who graced Toronto Stock Exchange-listed companies from 2015 to 2022, just 0.15 per cent were openly LGBTQ+. That’s a stark contrast to the 4.4 to to nine per cent of the Canadian population who identify as LGBTQ+. The math here isn’t merely off – it’s screamingly wrong. It suggests not just oversight, but wilful ignorance.This isn’t some benign accident.

The lavender ceiling is reinforced by a grim trifecta of bias: discrimination at hiring, workplace hostility, and exclusion from professional networks. LGBTQ+ applicants are noticeably less likely to even secure interviews, and when they do, interactions are shorter, harsher and colder. The result? Careers stifled at the outset, dreams curtailed by biases thinly disguised as professionalism.

Even after making it through the corporate gates, LGBTQ+ employees rarely find sanctuary. For example, nearly half of transgender workers endure daily slights, ranging from sneers and gossip to outright hostility. Concealing their identity becomes a daily game of survival – one that exacts a high emotional toll, draining their capacity to thrive professionally.If by some miracle they rise to senior roles, LGBTQ+ leaders often face suspicion and stereotypes – branded as disruptors or activists with hidden agendas. The price of visibility is intense scrutiny, skepticism and the implicit assumption that their identity overshadows their qualifications.

Ironically, companies shutting out LGBTQ+ voices are also sabotaging their own bottom lines. Diversity isn’t just ethically compelling; it’s financially savvy. Diverse boards consistently demonstrate superior innovation, resilience, workplace safety and strategic acumen. A diverse boardroom isn’t just good optics – it’s good business….

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