Resources for LGBTQ+ Students & Alumni
Whether being LGBTQ+ is a feature part of your identity or not, it may lead to concerns and questions about your career. Here are a few resources to help.
Find Internships and Jobs
There are numerous job boards that cater to the LGBTQ+ community such as Pink Jobs or Workplacediversity.com. Some larger job boards such as Indeed now have filters to search for community-friendly employers as well. Some industries also have LGBTQ+ job boards, such as CenterLink LGBT Jobs and Careers Board (LGBT community organizations), Funders for LGBTQ Issues (philanthropic organizations), The LGBTQ+ Bar (legal jobs), or Victory Institute (public service).
Find Community
Connecting with other LGBTQ+ professionals can prove very beneficial to explore employers and networking into positions. A few LGBTQ+ community networking groups include 500 Queer Scientists (STEM and STEM-supporting fields), the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (business), and Out Professionals (nonprofits). Additionally, many industry-specific professional associations have affinity groups for different populations including the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table and the American Medical Association’s Advisory Committee on LGBTQ Issues. Even LinkedIn has more than 500 LGBTQ+ networking groups, from very general to industry-focused and even employer-specific.
Know Your Rights
As you consider internships and jobs, make sure you understand your rights as these can differ dramatically depending on location. Look at employment nondiscrimination laws, as well as housing and healthcare, for the state and city. There are a variety of tools to help with this including the Movement Advancement Project, which has a tool that maps employment nondiscrimination. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has a tool to check policies at employers, municipalities, and healthcare facilities. Lambda Legal has a state-by-state guide to rights as well as a legal help desk.
