The 100 BEST COMPANIES FOR GAY MEN AND LESBIANS [Paperback]

Ed Mickens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1994

Mickens' invaluable guide examines the problems and challenges faced by gay professionals in today's workplace, from discrimination and harassment to unequal compensation and more. Published on the 25th anniversary of Stonewall, the beginning of America's gay rights movement.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Mickens, editor and publisher of Working It Out, lists 100 companies and describes what makes them amenable to gay and lesbian employees, but that only takes a fourth of the book. Approximately half the text is an overview of the issues raised by lesbians and gays in the workplace, including changes that have occurred and what businesses need to know. The book closes with a discussion offering ways to predict in the interview whether the company in question would be a good place for a gay or lesbian to work and also deals with the question of whether to "come out" or not. Unfortunately, because of the title, it is likely that only gay and lesbian jobseekers will choose this book rather than managers and human resource people for whom it seems targeted. This valuable, well-written, informative account deserves to be read much more widely.
Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Mickens is a clear, forceful writer who prefaces his list of gay-friendly businesses with several chapters, containing plenty of good summary reporting and even better interpretation of trends, on why being gay-friendly is good business and how progress in accepting gays and lesbians at work has been made and continues. This section concludes with advice to companies on steps toward achieving a gay-friendly workplace. The list includes nonprofits and government agencies as well as private employers; each is rated excellent, good, or "trying" in its supportiveness of gays. Unfortunately, some of the employer characterizations are bizarre; e.g., the American Friends Service Committee is said to "run the earthly affairs of the religious Society of Friends," which, if true, would have many a Quaker meeting wondering why it's worried about upkeep of the meeting house. The book ends with advice to the "talent," i.e., employees, about finding a gay-friendly company or making the one you're with gay-friendly. Ray Olson

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (July 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671874799
• ISBN-13: 978-0671874797
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,929,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable reference book for gay men and lesbians., April 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The 100 BEST COMPANIES FOR GAY MEN AND LESBIANS (Paperback)

The tag line for this book is "plus options and opportunities no matter where you work."
This book is not merely a listing of the 100 best comanies for gay men and lesbians, but fully half of the text discusses valuable issues like coming out, discrimination and harassment, domestic partner benefits, and finding and working with labor unions, employee associations, and individual managers.
The author explains his evaluation process for the listed employers: "a written and enforced policy of non-discrimination;inclusion of lesbian and gay issues within diversity training (if such training is given); recognition of a gay and lesbian employee group (an indicator of the comfort level among gay and lesbian employees);and the availability of benefits (and recognition) for same-sex domestic partners." (p. 132),BR>After the list, the book concludes with a chapter devoted to options for gay and lesbian employees, opportunities, how to discover them, and messages we need to get across. Regardless of whether your company is listed in this four year old book, the survey and the written information will never be outdated. A must for those who wish to be "out" as a valued employee in their workplace.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One way to shop for a job, June 23, 2000

By 

Bryan Vacinek "bryanv" (St. Louis Park, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 100 BEST COMPANIES FOR GAY MEN AND LESBIANS (Paperback)

What a great way to make public the companies that really care about their gay employees. It's fun to see which companies are really doing something. However, this book is quite out of date, I wish a new edition was published

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I disagree with his results., June 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The 100 BEST COMPANIES FOR GAY MEN AND LESBIANS (Paperback)

Mickens names University of Chicago as one of the best work environments for gays. Let the records show that in the early 1990s, people were going around sending death threats to gay students on that campus, particularly gay students of color. I have a friend who transferred from Chicago to Brown specifically for that reason. Therefore, if Chicago does have a gay-friendly policy now, it is only because they were embarrassed into it. This book is written in a rambling personal narrative style. There are several superior books out there about gay men and lesbians in the workplace.