• Information solicited through employer surveys, individual surveys, and focus groups; this was a non-scientific poll, and was the first MSBA survey of this sort to include sexual orientation and gender identity issues.

• Employer surveys sent to 100 top legal employers; responses came from those covering 2,032 attorneys at firms and 775 at non-firms.

• 880 attorneys completed the individual survey.

o 51 (6%) identified as gay (37%), lesbian (52%), or bisexual (12%); none identified as transgender.

o One focus group was conducted of GLBT participants

• 81% of GLBT respondents are “out at work”

• 70% have hidden or lied about their sexual orientations for the sake of their career

• 45% of non-GLBT attorneys believe it is safe to be “out at work,” but only 32% of GLBT attorneys themselves agree

• 50% of non-GLBT and 26% of GLBT attorneys agree it is better not to be “out”

• 77% of non-GLBT attorneys knew a GLBT Minnesota attorney

o Of these, 23% believed GLBT attorneys are treated differently from non-GLBT attorneys; another 14% were uncertain

• 72% of non-GLBT attorneys, but only 43% of GLBT attorneys, believed that personnel policies were fair to GLBT attorneys

• In workplaces, 84% of GLBT attorneys felt bias was a major/moderate problem, but 67% of non-GLBT attorneys felt it was minor or non-existent

• With opposing counsel, 65% of GLBT attorneys felt bias was a major/moderate problem, while 65% of non-GLBT attorneys felt it was minor to non-existent

Work environment

• 21% of GLBT attorneys reported being denied employment, equal pay, benefits, promotion, etc. due to their sexual orientation in the past five years.

o 67% did not discuss this with a supervisor; of those who did, 29% felt satisfied having done so.

• 71% of GLBT attorneys and 67% of non-GLBT attorneys agree that it is harder to get hired if you are thought to be GLBT.

• 45% of GLBT attorneys and 30% of non-GLBT attorneys agree that GLBT attorneys get less favorable assignments.

• 65% of non-GLBT attorneys, but only 36% of GLBT attorneys, agree that GLBT attorneys have equal opportunities for promotion.

• 32% of GLBT attorneys felt they had lost a client in the past five years because of their sexual orientation; an additional 14% were uncertain.

• Four percent of GLBT attorneys reported having experienced physical threats by a co-worker, and 16% reported verbal harassment; 49% had witnessed harassment of others in their workplace due to sexual orientation.

• 94% of attorneys identified their employers as sensitive to diversity concerns; 90% agreed their employers were sensitive to GLBT concerns.

• Family leave: 56% of firms/38% of non-firms allow leave time for employees who are partners of parents; 60% of firms/57% of non-firms allow leave time for employees to care for domestic partners.

• Partner benefits: 72% of firms/50% of non-firms offer domestic partner benefits.

• “Partner inclusion”: 94% of firms/92% of non-firms specifically invite partners to functions on par with spousal invitations.

o 59% of firms/57% of non-firms provide anti-discrimination training

o 55% of firms/43% of non-firms make that training mandatory

• 20% of participants reported witnessing/experiencing bias in the courtroom