Should you come out on your resume?

As social acceptance of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and other sexual minorities grows, the issue of how open a job seeker should be about his or her sexual orientation has become more of a topic for debate.

There are those who argue that LGBT job hunters should be as open and frank as they can be about their orientation on their resumes. They reason that openly gay people would not want to work for an employer who cannot accept them for who they are, so best to get the matter out of the way up front.

Then there are those who point out that sexual orientation, like race and religion, has no bearing on a candidates ability to do a job. Given that, why bother mentioning it at all?

In general, the latter advice is more sound than the former. Not only is it irrelevant to ones' capacity to do the job, but in many places, laws do not forbid discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation. (Philadelphia is not one of those places, but Pennsylvania is.)

There is an exception, however. Some LGBT job seekers may have experience working for identifiably gay employers or professional affiliations that reflect their sexual orientation, and listing these on one's resume would normally be encouraged if they are relevant to the type of work being sought. And so it is here, but how to list them depends on ones own comfort level - and concerns over those legal protections as well.

If the organization has the terms gay or lesbian in its name, one might consider listing them by their initials and letting the interviewer bring up the subject, for instance. Those concerned about screening for homophobic workplaces, on the other hand, might want to be completely upfront about the subject by listing the names in full. Because many large employers are ahead of the general public or the legislature when it comes to diversity in the workplace, doing so today will exclude job seekers from far fewer openings than was the case even a few short years ago.

What do you think? Do you think you should be upfront on your resume or do you think it shouldn't matter? Let me know in the comments.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Beyond.com. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on PhillyJobsBlog.com.