Brooke Thomas clearly remembers the man walking into her office. He was shaken. His partner was dying and he wanted team members to come to the funeral.
Thomas, the Seminole Hard Rock’s VP of People, Inclusion & Equity, tried to comfort the man. But he hadn’t been honest with fellow team members. He was gay and even had a fake photo of a woman on his desk he said was his wife. The man’s fellow team members had no idea he was afraid to tell people about his true life.
“This is important,” Thomas said Monday at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas during the session “LGBTQ+ in Gaming: Leading with Pride.” “We need to be in the community to participate. What can you do to support folks when they want to come out?”
Thomas cited statistics to bolster her premise that the LGBTQ+ community is strong and more prevalent than assumed. She stated that nearly 1 in 10 Americans identify as LGTBQ+, as do approximately 30 percent of Gen Z adults.
“This population is coming and staying with us. They’re playing with us. They’re working for us,” Thomas said. “So this conversation is really about how we’re attracting the best-in-class LGBTQ+ talent and what organizations have to do to watch us and support us, even as we see a steady increase, not necessarily in the number of people who are LGBTQ+, but the people who identify as that.”
Everi Customer Success Manager Matthew Heenan says being in the LGBTQ+ community transcends just participating in Pride Month. Conversations need to take place outside those 30 days. “Having those conversations is twofold. Especially for our industry, you have guests come in and that can be an attraction, right?”
Jack Lyons, Penn Entertainment’s Director of Talent, emphasized it’s important to gather information about employees, notably those who identify as LGBTQ+, in order to create inclusive and safe spaces.
“These are specific policies that you can implement that will make your employees feel welcome into the scene without necessarily having to come out and say, oh, I need this specific thing,” Lyons said. “You’re creating a safe environment for them, an environment for them to really thrive, be their authentic self, and to continue to contribute to the company overall.”
The panelists are cognizant that DEI initiatives are under attack from the current administration. Thomas said that was one of the reasons she created LGBTQ+ in Gaming: to let others know they’re not alone.
“It’s on us as organizations to build cultures where people can be their authentic selves,” Thomas said. “And if it takes them eight years to come out as trans, then great. Don’t blame them and say, oh, you hid it from me. Say, I’m so glad you’re still with us. We’re still developing, growing, and I’m so thrilled you finally shared that with us. You didn’t have to and it’s shifting that lens from well, why didn’t you tell me to well, wow, we have to do a better job with our culture to create space for vulnerability because to your point about innovation, you can’t really be innovative when you’re working on hiding.”
Thomas added that it’s important to zoom out, look at history, and understand that progress is definitely being made, even if it’s hard to see because you are living through it.
Heenan noted that it’s important to realize that despite the recent bias against DEI, progress has been made. He pointed that the workplace looks very different than it did 20 years ago and support groups for those who are LGBTQ+ provide spaces and community.
“They say, hey, we love and support you,” Heenan said. “We believe in you and you deserve a space at the table. You deserve to be who you are.”
