Why we need LGBT-friendly workplaces

The lead story in Wednesday's ET Panache is a profile of Radhika Piramal, the MD of VIP Industries, who recently appeared at an event organised by Godrej Culture Labs, "Breaking Free - Life Gets Better Together", where she spoke about her coming out and corporate responsibility towards LGBT employees.

Piramal spoke on a wide range of topics, starting from her coming out first to her sister and then her parents, who took some time accepting the fact. She talks about falling in love in New York and marrying her partner in London, an event attended by her friends and family.

The wedding was covered by Mumbai Mirror, and it was then that Piramal decided she had to come out to her colleagues as well: "From that day on, I was out at work and out everywhere. In the long run, Mumbai Mirror did me a favour by publishing that story because we all have these fears and anxieties about what will happen when we come out. And, I have realised that the people who are important to me, my immediate family and colleagues at work, they are not going to judge me for this. They are going to give me their love and support, so what was I really afraid of?"

Radhika agrees that her status as the boss and daughter of the promoter of the company may have shielded her from discrimination at work. Others may not be so lucky, which is why it is doubly important that Indian corporates put in place policies that support LGBT employees. She makes an important point about the distance Indian society needs to travel before LGBT persons can live openly and share their stories. Even if the law were on our side, which at the moment it is not, true acceptance will only come with openness among our friends, family and colleagues.

Piramal tells ET: "The truth in India is, it's [legitimacy] not going to come from either the legal framework, in the current scenario, or politicians. It has to come from family and workplaces because without that, there is going to be an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. All leading American corporations are clear on this. Their policy on non-discrimination is taken for granted there. Indian corporations really have to think about this. Do we see the Western model of equal rights as the way forward or would we prefer to stay where we are and follow the current Indian model? That's the dilemma for corporations."

Section 377 of the IPC criminalises homosexual behaviour, and not homosexuality per se, giving corporates the legal room necessary to draft LGBT-friendly policies. A string of MNCs such as Google and Apple already offer benefits to LGBT employees. Google even has a name for them, Gayglers, and offers them partner benefits as well as, in the case of transgender employees, covers the costs of transitioning.

The workplace is such an intimate part of one's life that unless one can be entirely oneself there, one is unlikely to be able to perform to the best of one's ability. The general image of the corporate world is one of intense competition, where issues of gender and identity can get waylaid. But as per this report in Business Insider, some of the best companies for LGBT-friendliness are consulting giants like Bain and McKinsey, and it does not get more cut-throat than them.

The workplace is also an ideal place to thrash out issues of LGBT identity because unlike at home and among friends, there is less emotional connect with colleagues. Stories can be shared with less trepidation in an enabling environment since the final word rests with the company, which can stem discrimination in the ranks. For LGBT persons chary of coming out to their parents, it is possible to "try" coming out at work, among a few close colleagues. In a positive setting, this can give them the courage to raise the matter at home.

Gender identity is closely linked to quality of life and happiness. In the absence of legal safeguards, Indian corporates can make life easier for their LGBT employees by putting in place explicit provisions against discrimination. The HR can organise events that explain LGBT identity and terminology to all employees, thus educating and creating an open space. Film screenings and sessions by LGBT activists will go a long way in changing perceptions and inculcating empathy on an important issue that continues to evade attention in this country.