- Tim Cook is arguably the most prominent LGBTQ+ person in tech, but he isn't the only one.
- There are LGBTQ+ identifying individuals in prominent roles as venture capitalists, diversity in tech advocates, and C-suite level executives at large tech companies like IBM and Microsoft.
- Here are 23 of the most influential and notable people in tech who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The atmosphere in Silicon Valley, where "bro culture" is rampant, is not know for being kind to anyone "different."
That can especially be true for LGBTQ+ identifying individuals, who only gained the right to marry in the US in 2005. Gay marriage is still only legal in around 30 countries.
But a number of diversity initiatives aimed at LGBTQ+ people in the tech sector have emerged in recent years. Groups like Lesbians Who Tech, StartOut, and TransTech Social Enterprises have worked to improve office culture at tech companies, connect LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs with venture capitalists, and make resources more readily available to the queer tech community.
Business Insider has compiled a list of some of the most influential and notable people in tech who identify as LGBTQ+. Some techies on this list have harnessed their gender identities and sexual orientations to speak out about and further the presence of LGBTQ+ people in tech. For others, being LGBTQ+ is simply a part of their personal life, which they strive to keep separate from business.
Here are 23 of the most influential LGBTQ+ people in the tech industry:
Chris Hughes, cofounder of Facebook
Hughes was one of the four Facebook cofounders. He's also served as the editor-in-chief for The New Republic, and is now the co-chair of a financial stability initiative called the Economic Security Project.
Hughes has been married to political activist Sean Eldridge since 2012. Eldridge is the former political director for same-sex marriage advocacy group Freedom to Marry, and has since founded Stand Up America, a grassroots resistance campaign started in the weeks following the election of Donald Trump.
Arlan Hamilton, cofounder and CEO of Backstage Capital
Hamilton is managing partner at Backstage Capital, a VC firm she started in 2015 while homeless. Backstage invests in companies led by underrepresented founders — women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
In a September 2018 cover story about Hamilton, Fast Company said she's "the only black, queer woman to have ever built a venture capital firm from scratch."
Joel Simkhai, founder of Grindr
Simkhai founded Grindr, a dating app for men in the LGBTQ+ community, back in 2009. The app was born out of what he told Business Insider was a "selfish desire" to meet more gay men. Today, Grindr has almost 4 million daily users.
Simkhai was CEO of Grindr up until January 2018, when the app was sold to a Chinese gaming company for more than $150 million.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
from Strategy https://read.bi/2U0Jtwo
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