Gay and Lesbian Employees at Microsoft
Encyclopedia
Gay and Lesbian Employees at Microsoft (GLEAM) is a group of gay, lesbian
, bisexual and transgender
employees at Microsoft
. GLEAM originated as a private mailing list
during the 1980s. Members of the list successfully campaigned for sexual orientation to be added to Microsoft's anti-discrimination policy
in 1989. In 1997, group leaders would point out that anti-gay actions occurred, but "overt bias is extremely rare".
GLEAM also lobbied for Microsoft to offer insurance and other benefits to same-sex domestic partners. Lobbying intensified after Lotus software
offered these benefits to its workers. Microsoft added this benefit in 1993.
GLEAM became more formally organized in 1993 under Microsoft's Diversity Advisory Council, along with Blacks At Microsoft (BAM), the women's group Hoppers, and similar groups.
More recently the group influenced Microsoft to add gender identity and expression to its anti-discrimination policies in April 2005 and in 2006 to progressively extend health coverage benefits to cover transgender care, and some surgery. The Human Rights Campaign
, an American gay rights group that focuses on transgender issues, updated Microsoft's Corporate Equality Index rating to 100%. The Corporate Equality Index is a set of metrics
used by the Human Rights Campaign to measure a company's compliance with its goals of gender identity neutrality in the workplace.
In an April 22, 2005 e-mail, company CEO Steve Ballmer
explained to Microsoft employees that earlier in the year, the company had decided to focus its lobbying efforts on issues more directly related to its core business (e.g., computer privacy). In the same e-mail, he affirmed the company's commitment to diversity and encouraged individual shareholders to get involved in the issue, but said that no one on either side should represent themselves as speaking for the company.
In response, seven days later, the GLEAM board of directors sent an e-mail that proposed, with specific timelines, various steps that Microsoft should take in order to repair its public image and the "lack of trust" created by the Ballmer e-mail on April 22. Among the proposals was that Microsoft should acknowledge its neutral position was a mistake (including a proposed press release and a seven-day suggested timeframe for the dissemination of the release) and partner with GLEAM as "subject matter experts" in reaching out to the LGBT community, beginning with a sixty day "intense outreach" period. Meanwhile, a petition of employees asking Microsoft to support the bill topped 1700 signatures.
The bill was passed in the subsequent legislative session (2006) under the leadership of openly gay legislator, Rep. Ed Murray (D) of the 43rd legislative district and after the defection of Republican
State Senator, Bill Finkbeiner, who subsequently retired and whose seat was captured by Democrat
and Microsoft
alumnus, Eric Oemig
. During the 2006 elections, voters of the 43rd legislative district also elevated Rep. Ed Murray to the Washington State Senate
.
On September 15th, 2009, Microsoft publicly announced its support for Referendum 71 to protect Washington State Domestic Partnerships.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
employees at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
. GLEAM originated as a private mailing list
Mailing list
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is referred to as "the mailing list", or simply "the...
during the 1980s. Members of the list successfully campaigned for sexual orientation to be added to Microsoft's anti-discrimination policy
Policy
A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome. The term is not normally used to denote what is actually done, this is normally referred to as either procedure or protocol...
in 1989. In 1997, group leaders would point out that anti-gay actions occurred, but "overt bias is extremely rare".
GLEAM also lobbied for Microsoft to offer insurance and other benefits to same-sex domestic partners. Lobbying intensified after Lotus software
Lotus Software
Lotus Software is a software company with headquarters in Westford, Massachusetts...
offered these benefits to its workers. Microsoft added this benefit in 1993.
GLEAM became more formally organized in 1993 under Microsoft's Diversity Advisory Council, along with Blacks At Microsoft (BAM), the women's group Hoppers, and similar groups.
More recently the group influenced Microsoft to add gender identity and expression to its anti-discrimination policies in April 2005 and in 2006 to progressively extend health coverage benefits to cover transgender care, and some surgery. The Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
, an American gay rights group that focuses on transgender issues, updated Microsoft's Corporate Equality Index rating to 100%. The Corporate Equality Index is a set of metrics
Metric (mathematics)
In mathematics, a metric or distance function is a function which defines a distance between elements of a set. A set with a metric is called a metric space. A metric induces a topology on a set but not all topologies can be generated by a metric...
used by the Human Rights Campaign to measure a company's compliance with its goals of gender identity neutrality in the workplace.
Washington state gay rights legislation
GLEAM also pushed to secure Microsoft's support of gay rights legislation in Washington state. During legislative hearings on Washington's H.B. 1515 bill, which would extend the state's current anti-discrimination laws to people with alternate sexual orientations, two Microsoft employees testified as private citizens on behalf of the legislation. A conservative religious group took this to mean Microsoft was actively supporting the legislation as an organization and demanded the company reverse its support.In an April 22, 2005 e-mail, company CEO Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer
Steven Anthony "Steve" Ballmer is an American business magnate. He is the chief executive officer of Microsoft, having held that post since January 2000. , his personal wealth is estimated at US$13.9 billion, ranking number 19 on the Forbes 400.-Early life:Ballmer was born in Detroit, Michigan to...
explained to Microsoft employees that earlier in the year, the company had decided to focus its lobbying efforts on issues more directly related to its core business (e.g., computer privacy). In the same e-mail, he affirmed the company's commitment to diversity and encouraged individual shareholders to get involved in the issue, but said that no one on either side should represent themselves as speaking for the company.
In response, seven days later, the GLEAM board of directors sent an e-mail that proposed, with specific timelines, various steps that Microsoft should take in order to repair its public image and the "lack of trust" created by the Ballmer e-mail on April 22. Among the proposals was that Microsoft should acknowledge its neutral position was a mistake (including a proposed press release and a seven-day suggested timeframe for the dissemination of the release) and partner with GLEAM as "subject matter experts" in reaching out to the LGBT community, beginning with a sixty day "intense outreach" period. Meanwhile, a petition of employees asking Microsoft to support the bill topped 1700 signatures.
The bill was passed in the subsequent legislative session (2006) under the leadership of openly gay legislator, Rep. Ed Murray (D) of the 43rd legislative district and after the defection of Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
State Senator, Bill Finkbeiner, who subsequently retired and whose seat was captured by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
alumnus, Eric Oemig
Eric Oemig
Eric Oemig was an American politician from Washington state, who served as a Democrat in the Washington State Senate. Oemig was elected to the Senate in 2006 and served from January 2007-2011...
. During the 2006 elections, voters of the 43rd legislative district also elevated Rep. Ed Murray to the Washington State Senate
Washington State Senate
The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 senators, each representing a district with a population of nearly 120,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia....
.
On September 15th, 2009, Microsoft publicly announced its support for Referendum 71 to protect Washington State Domestic Partnerships.