In March 1999, Harvard and Yale co-sponsored the first national Gay and Lesbian Business Conference, tagged "From the Closet to the Boardroom." "The conference was by no means an innovative idea," says Yale's James Robertson, who co-chaired the event with Jason Stone of Harvard. "Minority groups have been sponsoring national MBA conferences for years."

Still, the conference, which invited gay, lesbian, and bisexual MBAs to "come out, come out wherever you are," and share personal accounts of what it's like to be openly out in the professional world, was the first of its kind. Backed by top consultancies Booz Allen & Hamilton, McKinsey & Company, and the Monitor Company, the conference got rave reviews from attendees.

Intended "to be a networking event for students and a forum for questions," according to Harvard's Jason Stone, the conference brought together approximately 150 gay, lesbian, and bisexual (also known as GLBs) MBA students from over 20 business schools across the country. Like other minority communities, GLBs now draw together in communities specifically designed for business networking.

Keynote conference speakers set the tone for the event with "particularly moving" words from Julie Palen of InterNoded Inc., and the Gay Financial Network. (GFN.com) founder and CEO, Walter Schubert. Professionals from a whole range of industries (including Zoe Dunning, Lieutenant Commander of the U.S. Naval Reserves) served on panels organized by Columbia, Wharton, and Yale GLB associations. ~

While the panels served as forums for questions, they largely focused on personal stories of coming out at the workplace. Exclaims one attendee, "People who were older, who had known they were gay for 20 years were sharing stories and listening to others. It was incredible!" The conference ended with cocktails and an invigorating speech from Boozo Allen's chairman, Bill Stasior, who emphasized the need to recruit qualified talent - regardless of whether or not that talent falls under the diversity umbrella.

...to Working Out
What's in store for next year? Scheduled for March 24th and 25th in 2000 at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in Philadelphia, the "Working Out" Gay and Lesbian Business Conference is co-chaired by two Columbia MBA students, Liz Zale and Jeremy Cleaver, and two Whartonites, Allen and Andrew Fiala. According to Peter Allen, they plan to shift the focus from coming out to being out in the workplace. "Specifically," says Allen, "what does it mean simply to be out, and what do people in companies need to focus on."

Like last year's conference, the panels for the conference will be organized by business school GLB clubs. Previous sponsors are vying for the opportunity to return, and many new companies are eager to sponsor the event.

"Having set the precedent and made the contacts," says Zale, "it's easier to build up the conference this year." The coordinators are planning to double the attendance this year, making room for 300.