iDLg v.6

CHICAGO: Corporate boardrooms are slowly becoming a somewhat friendlier place for gay executives, but as John Browne’s sudden exit from the top job at oil major BP Plc showed when his sexuality became public fodder; there are still challenges to overcome.

Browne stepped down last week when a UK court lifted an injunction preventing a newspaper group from publishing details about his private life. He was scheduled to retire in July, but stepped aside to “avoid unnecessary embarrassment and distraction to the company,’’ adding he had always regarded his sexuality as a private matter.

“There still is a pink ceiling for openly gay executives,’’ said Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum, a group that promotes civil rights for gays. “We are going through a transitional moment, as the black civil rights movement and women’s civil right movement went through,’’ he added.

Browne felt the need to keep his sexuality private despite his high profile position, something that is likely to have led to his problems. “By not being out and being open, you do create a certain amount of questioning around you. Often it creates a bit of mystery around an individual,’’ said Eric Bloem, an official with the Human Rights Campaign, another gay civil rights group.

Browne is not alone, according to Kirk Snyder, a lecturer at the University of Southern California’s business school. “Talking with executives and people in the position to become CEO, I have found that there are at least five closeted CEOs in the Fortune 500,’’ said Snyder, author of the book, The G Quotient: Why Gay Executives Are Excelling As Leaders.

Many corporate observers said the next generation of gay executives is not willing to hide that part of their lives.