The Economic Cost of LGBT Exclusion

Date of Meeting: 10 Dec 2015

Meeting Organizer: LGBT Core Group, Free & Equal – United Nations for LGBT Equality

ISJC Staff Present: Robert Docter

Reporter: Robert Docter

Which SDG does this topic cover? 5, 16

Type of meeting: Event at UN Trusteeship in respect to Human Rights Day 

Panelists focused on LGBT discrimination and exclusion from the business, State, and civil society – centering on economic costs from the discrimination.                          

MODERATOR: Marcus Mabry – Head, U.S. Curation, Twitter Moments

PRESENTERS: The following points were made by the presenters

Mogens Lykketoft, President of the General Assembly

• Member states can’t prohibit human rights.
• LGBT youth at greater risk for bullying, violence, and skipping school – where 1/3 have skipped school at some point due to fear.
• There are 76 countries that currently have laws in place that contributes to LGBT exclusion – purposeful laws that give LGBT peoples less rights and opportunity.

Dan Bross, Senior director of Business and Corporate Responsibility, Microsoft

• Challenges States and corporations to be inclusive; Implementing inclusion with its (1) mission, (2) values, and (3) leadership.
• Executives and leaders from corporations, States, and civil societies need to reach out to other leaders for best means and communication when implementing inclusiveness.
• The World Economic Forum next year is including workshops for LGBT inclusiveness – businesses like Bross’ Microsoft understand the importance, and with the topic of the meeting, the importance of it economically and financially.  
• He went into detail about the importance of inclusiveness at Microsoft, and the trend in other large companies doing the same.  

James Heintz, Prof. of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

• States and companies that actively discriminate LGBT at work, jobs, conditions, and service often are on the lowest rates of productivity.
• Policing LGBT communities has tremendous costs.
• States, corporations, and sectors of the service society who actively discriminate don’t receive as much resources and trust – and hurt them financially.

Kasha Jacqueline, Director, Freedom and Roam, Uganda

• There is a tremendous loss of potential due to LGBT exclusion – happening prevalently in Uganda.
• With the NGOs helping LGBT populations in Uganda, they have to be careful due to an NGO Act that blacklists NGOs supporting the LGBT community.
• Simply, discrimination limits and halts development. This discrimination loses credibility and trust to the world.
• She provided her perspective and life as a Lesbian living in Uganda – where due to her fame for protesting for LGBT rights, she’s subject to violence and harm.