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Today gay men and women in the Western world enjoy greater acceptance and legal protections than ever before. Yet an alarming number of businessmen and women choose to remain closeted at work. Lord Browne of Madingley, the former chief executive of BP, will give a public lecture at Madingley Hall today (8 Oct) about his new book, The Glass Closet.
Today gay men and women in the Western world enjoy greater acceptance and legal protections than ever before. Yet an alarming number of businessmen and women choose to remain closeted at work. Lord Browne of Madingley, the former chief executive of BP, will give a public lecture at Madingley Hall today (8 Oct) about his new book, The Glass Closet.
I wish I had been brave enough to come out earlier during my tenure as chief executive of BP. I regret it to this day.
Lord Browne of Madingley
Drawing on his experiences as a closeted gay man in the oil industry, and the experiences of other prominent executives from around the world, Lord Browne argues that coming out is best for employees and the companies that support them.
“I wish I had been brave enough to come out earlier during my tenure as chief executive of BP. I regret it to this day. I know that if I had done so I would have made more of an impact for other gay men and women. It is my hope that the stories in this book will give some of them the courage to make an impact of their own,” he said.
The Madingley Lectures are a series of free public lectures given by leading authorities in their fields. They take place at Madingley Hall, home of the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education, and are an important part of the Institute's commitment to public engagement. Previous speakers have included Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal and Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
For further information, see: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/madingleylectures
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