In this episode, we talk about the invisible but very omnipresent ceilings that occur in work cultures that can hamper one’s ability to succeed. You already know about the glass ceiling; today we are discussing the Lavender Ceiling.

The lavender ceiling exists when a person who identifies as LGBT encounters more resistance toward promotion or moving upward in a company than a straight person would.

It takes courage to come out in any industry. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to come out in a historically white hetero male industry. 

My guest today is my friend Bryan Furze. Bryan is the Vice President of Leasing for WS Development, the largest New England based retail developer, ranking 32nd overall on ICSC's Top 100 retail developers.

In 2004, after 6 years working in commercial real estate and building his network within that industry he came out to his colleagues and his network. I’ve invited Bryan here to talk to us about what that process was like, how his relationships changed and developed through that process, and how individuals and companies can be better advocates for the LGBTQ community. 

Drink of the Week:   

Cabernet Sauvignon from Daou Vineyards in Paso Robles 

Sponsor

A big thank you to our interview sponsor Lehrer Cumming. Lehrer Cumming, a division of Cumming, is a widely respected owner advisor that offers strategic, hands-on guidance to owners, developers, and institutions in the New England region. For more information, please visit lehrercumming.com.

Time stamp:

 00:30 Intro

1:00 - The Lavender Ceiling

05:00 - Bryan’s early professional life.

09:00 - Coming out to colleagues

15:00 - Affinity groups- A safe space.

20:00 - The LGBT community in Real estate

29:00 - Creating better diversity

32:00 - Openness to LGBT community

33:30 - Outro

Relevant Links

Bryan Furze 

WS Development

Julie Brown 

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