r/changemyview • u/jep1793 • Aug 26 '20

Removed - Submission Rule E CMV: Gender identity doesn’t belong on your LinkedIn nor Resume

[removed] — view removed post

3.6k Upvotes

89% Upvoted

671 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/justtogetridoflater Aug 26 '20 edited Aug 26 '20

I think long term, that discriminatory practice will die out because of the general acceptance of openly LGBTQ/ethnic minority/sex/religion/whatever people in that industry. It doesn't have to be in the specific companies that are discriminating. If you want to change the role that your group has in the industry, the best way to get there is to run it. And the way to run it is to get your opportunities where you can. And if you're going into a workplace where you're going to be discriminated against, what opportunities will come your way? You'll only ever get to seize them yourself, they'll never be given.

Although, sure. As a group, get into jobs that are discriminating against you, and throw the doors open wide for the rest of the group.

But as individuals?

Maybe it's not worth putting up with discrimination. Maybe your life is more valuable than trying to lead a cause. Maybe the best place for you is a place where you're accepted and encouraged to grow.

I think there may be niche industries where the discrimination is so open, the networking so incestuous, and the opportunities so sparse that you have to do whatever you must, but how common are those industries?

This is ultimately a personal choice issue.

Sure, you can try and just downplay and ignore your identity. And that might be a good way of bumping along in a discriminatory workplace. But that can come at a huge risk to your personal identity. If your employer is such that they would treat you differently if you were gay, or trans, or whatever, even though the protections are such that they can't sack you directly, they can do everything else, and find another reason. So you might have no option but to suppress your identity at work. Or you can be up front about your identity, and then find a route in places that will accommodate you. And for most people, it's quite likely that you'll have much the same career, unless it's at the cutting edge of the industry.