The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out Is Good Business

Part memoir and part social criticism, The Glass Closet addresses the issue of homophobia that still pervades corporations around the world and underscores the immense challenges faced by LGBT employees.

In The Glass Closet, Lord John Browne, former CEO of BP, seeks to unsettle business leaders by exposing the culture of homophobia that remains rampant in corporations around the world, and which prevents employees from showing their authentic selves.

Drawing on his own experiences, and those of prominent members of the LGBT community around the world, as well as insights from well-known business leaders and celebrities, Lord Browne illustrates why, despite the risks involved, self-disclosure is best for employees—and for the businesses that support them. Above all, The Glass Closet offers inspiration and support for those who too often worry that coming out will hinder their chances of professional success.

This landmark work on LGBTQ+ leadership and workplace equality delivers:

• A CEO’s Perspective: The unflinching story of former BP CEO Lord John Browne, who exposes the personal and professional cost of hiding his identity at the highest levels of corporate power.
• Diversity as a Strategy: A clear-eyed analysis of why fostering an inclusive environment is not just a moral imperative, but a competitive advantage that attracts top talent and drives innovation.
• Coming Out at Work: Practical guidance and powerful stories from dozens of interviews with LGBT employees, business leaders, and public figures who navigated the complex decision to live authentically in their careers.
• Actionable Steps for Leaders: A clear roadmap for executives and managers to dismantle corporate homophobia, build a culture of trust, and champion the immense value of authentic leadership.

"I wish I had been brave enough to come out earlier during my tenure as the chief executive of BP. I regret it to this day. I know that if I had done so, I would have made more of an impact for other gay men and women. It is my hope that the stories in this book will give some of them the courage to make an impact of their own."
—John Browne

Today gay men and women in the Western world enjoy greater acceptance and more legal protections than ever before. Yet an alarming number of businesspeople choose to remain closeted at work. In The Glass Closet, John Browne, the former chief executive of BP, argues that whether you're lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or straight, it's better for you and your business when you bring your authentic self to work.

Browne draws on the latest research, his own experience as a closeted gay man in the oil industry, and interviews with gay and lesbian leaders to expose the lingering culture of homophobia in corporations around the world, and to inspire the LGBT community to share who they are with their employers and coworkers. Courageous and thought-provoking, this call to arms demonstrates that the hidden cost of hidden lives is far greater than we have previously thought.

“Personal and instructive, The Glass Closet provides a compelling roadmap to what, as a society and as individuals, we can achieve if LGBT men and women are completely free from prejudice and anxiety because of who they are.” - --Lloyd Blankfein, CEO, Goldman Sachs

“The Glass Closet by John Browne is a brave and fascinating book that shows how businesses can lead the way in promoting gay rights and why being yourself is best for business and for you.” - --Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group

“The Glass Closet is a wonderfully reflective, refreshingly candid account of the remarkable life and times of Lord John Browne who, until he ‘came out,’ lived an increasingly uncomfortable double life--rising to the chief executive’s suite as a highly successful corporate leader, while staying in the closet as a gay man until late in his professional life.” - --General David H. Petraeus, US Army (retired)

“A courageous and salutary reminder that despite huge progress, we still have a long way to go to create the kind of tolerant and inclusive society of which business-as this book powerfully argues--must be a driving force.” - -- Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever

“Culturally significant....[Browne] has taken pains to provide strikingly honest personal narratives and uses them to put a face on the problems at hand.” - Library Journal