LGBT in investment banking?

<p>How are LGBT people treated in investment banking? Levels of discrimination? Is it a viable career path?</p>

<p>Probably easier to be LGB than T.</p>

<p>I know JP Morgan has a specific program for people who fall under that designation, I’m sure other banks do as well/will adapt one soon.</p>

<p>IMO, Banks want to make profits. It does not matter if you are a female or LGBT if you can do your job.</p>

<p>However, it is a historically traditionally male straight (or not out) profession as I understand it.</p>

<p>My D is the only female at her trading desk at a BB in NYC. Not sure when there was another female at her desk. (In trading, desk essentially means department)</p>

<p>Brokers take the traders out “on the town” on a regular basis. The best restaurants in NYC, Knicks, Yankee or Mets games with great seats, etc. She goes.</p>

<p>They also apparently take them to strip clubs. My D is not invited to these outings and they are tried to be kept hidden. (Failure obviously) She doesn’t believe that these excursions are to leave her out, but to not offend her. </p>

<p>She and her fellow workers seem to get on very well. That is why they care about offending her. There has been no discrimination against her being a female.</p>

<p>However, if you are a very sensitive person, ie can not take not " politically incorrect" jokes or you do not have a thick skin, you might have a problem in the IB world… But the culture is trying to change from my observation.</p>

<p>Judging from princetonfml it’s easier to get in if you are an attractive female!</p>

<p>Might be. My D is very attractive. But she is still the only female at her desk and is one of only a few at desks across the floor.</p>

<p>I’m sure her looks got her the job and her 3.99 GPA at an Ivy had nothing to do with it.</p>

<p>morrismm your D is a real catch then, if I were single I would have really asked you for her number lol</p>

<p>Haha. Sorry, she is currently out west doing her required 2 weeker camping with her boyfriend at national parks. He should complete his PHD this fall in engineering from an Ivy.</p>

<p>They are both very good looking. So I guess they will be ok. Never mind their degrees, gpa’s, etc.</p>

<p>

The majority of my gay friends in college were econ majors, and many of them were heavily recruited. In fact, the LGBT center on campus held several recruiting sessions for banks. Most of my friends ended up doing ibanking or consulting in NYC and are happy as clams. </p>

<p>A lot of my friends attended the Out for Business conference and spoke very highly of it. There are scholarships available to meet the cost of attendance. </p>

<p>[OUBC</a> | Out for Undergraduate Business conference](<a href=“http://www.outforbusiness.com/]OUBC”>http://www.outforbusiness.com/)</p>

<p>My boss, over dinner, said to me, “I think John(one of my directs) is gay, what do you think?” I said to him, “what gave him away? His Gucci shoes or his boyfriend?”</p>

<p>I don’t think people really care any more. IB is probably more accepting of differences in people as long as they perform. It is more result oriented. It is part of the reason why I stuck with it for 30 years. As a female Asian, I didn’t really feel I was discriminated. Now at my level, I feel more of jabs from some big boys elbow because there are fewer jobs and you need to push someone off the pyramid in order to stay on sometimes. It’s no different than any corporate America.</p>

<p>If anything, investment banking is one of the few industries where in many aspects you usually have it easier as a LGB individual (never encountered a T).</p>

<p>You count as a diversity hire, so it’s easier to get recruited in, and harder to get laid off as well vis-a-vis other employees.</p>

<p>Additionally, IB is results-oriented to care on the firm level about its employees’ lifestyle choices.</p>

<p>Two caveats:

  1. Your success in IB is most heavily dependent on the rapport you can develop with a client. Prejudiced clients (I’m thinking of certain coverage groups like industrials, natural resources, etc.) can hurt your career for obvious reasons.
  2. The sensitive, politically correct die. Cynical people thrive. Jokes will still be cracked, it’s just that it’s generally part of the frat culture of the groups you work in, and not meant to be mean-spirited. If you can’t take it, you don’t belong in IB anyways regardless of your sexuality.</p>

<p>See [OUBC</a> | Out for Undergraduate Business conference](<a href=“http://outforbusiness.com/]OUBC”>http://outforbusiness.com/)</p>

<p>I guess the consensus that being lgb (maybe not t) is either neutral or helpful. That’s a good thing! ^^</p>

<p>I always wondered about these “LGBT” programs. How do the companies know whether you’re LGBT or not??? What’s stopping a guy from pretending he’s gay? and then once he gets an internship, he would turn around and say “Oh hey guys! I changed my mind! I’m straight now!”</p>

<p>^ sigh… Because being gay isn’t a choice?</p>

<p>…I wasn’t talking about that. I was referring to the possibility that a straight guy might pretend to be gay just to get an internship (assuming they are desperate enough)</p>

<p>If I (as a straight male) apply for a LGBT diversity program, how on earth would HR know that I’m gay?</p>

<p>[Gaydar</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaydar]Gaydar”>Gaydar - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>misterprez - there are no lgbt diversity recruitment programs. Some firms have lgbt support groups of one kind or another, but there is no active recruitment process for lgbt individuals as there are for women and minorities.</p>

<p>

I’m not sure what compelled you to post, but next time, try to resist the urge to post completely incorrect info without so much as an attempt to verify it with a google search. </p>

<p>[J.P</a>. Morgan | Careers | J.P. Morgan Proud to Be | Proud to Be in the U.S.](<a href=“http://careers.jpmorgan.com/student/jpmorgan/careers/proudtobe/us]J.P”>http://careers.jpmorgan.com/student/jpmorgan/careers/proudtobe/us)
[Diversity[/url</a>]
[url=<a href=“http://www2.goldmansachs.com/careers/why-goldman-sachs/diversity/diversity-us.html]Goldman”>http://www2.goldmansachs.com/careers/why-goldman-sachs/diversity/diversity-us.html]Goldman</a> Sachs | Diversity - Americas](<a href=“http://icg.citi.com/icg/sa/recruiting/diversity.jsp?region=nam]Diversity[/url”>http://icg.citi.com/icg/sa/recruiting/diversity.jsp?region=nam)</p>

<p>^^^ and theres a bridge I can sell you.</p>