http://diversity.monster.com/gale/articles/divboost/
The Gay Index: Diversity Boosts Business
by Barbara Dozetos
Monster Contributing Writer
For businesses and job seekers looking for the best local environment for
growth, diversity does matter.
According to a relatively new economic development theory, the more diverse
and tolerant an area, the better it will be able to support economic growth.
In his recent book The Rise of the Creative Class, author Richard Florida
says, "Regional economic growth is powered by creative people, who prefer
places that are diverse, tolerant and open to new ideas. Diversity increases
the odds that a place will attract different types of creative people with
different skill sets and ideas."
The Gay Index
Some of this theory began with doctoral student Gary Gates. While studying
at Carnegie Mellon University in the 1990s, he created a measure of where
gay/lesbian people were located, based upon the 1990 Census, and has since
updated the data to reflect the 2000 Census. The Gay Index ranks regions by
their concentrations of gay/lesbian people. It should be noted that these
numbers reflect only partnered gays/lesbians, because there is no way to
indicate your sexual orientation on the Census form unless you're the
unmarried partner of someone of the same gender.
Why Is Tolerance So Important?
Florida's theory, which he calls the creative capital theory, refers to the
"three T's of economic development: technology, talent and tolerance." The
final T is where the gay/lesbian community plays a significant part.
According to Florida, along with acceptance of immigrants and racial and
ethnic minorities, where a city or region ranks on the Diversity (Gay) Index
can go a long way toward predicting its potential for growth. As a matter of
fact, he believes tolerance toward the gay/lesbian community is more
important than that toward other minorities.
Diversity (Gay) Index
http://www.creativeclass.org/map_cdi.htm
According to Gates, now with the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, gays can
be viewed as "the canaries of the Creative Age."
Urban Institute
http://www.urban.org/
As Florida puts it, "homosexuality represents the last frontier of diversity
in our society, and thus, a place that welcomes the gay community welcomes
all kinds of people."
When Florida compared the High Tech Index, a ranking of regions with high
technology industries, with Gates's Gay Index, he found a significant
correlation. "The Gay Index is a very strong predictor of a region's high
tech industry concentration," writes Florida. He further notes that a
concentration of gays/lesbians in the population is also a positive
predictor of impending economic growth for a region.
High Tech Index
http://www.creativeclass.org/map_ht.htm
What This Means for You
All this is fascinating information for corporate types and community
planners, but it is also important for members of the gay/lesbian community
to know and understand it.
For starters, there's a certain confidence boost when you're armed with this
knowledge. After being told throughout our lives that our sexual orientation
is something we probably shouldn't make known and might even want to lie
about, it's exhilarating to know that the likes of the Economist,
BusinessWeek and Information Week are telling business bigwigs to pay
attention to Florida's theory. Knowing that really smart employers will be
working to employ a more diverse group of people makes it easier to be
yourself during the application and interview process.
If you're not inclined to be an agent of change, the studies cited here can
help you in your search for the ideal work climate. If relocation is in your
future, why not make the move to a community that rates high on the
Diversity Index? What could make being the new kid on the block easier than
knowing you're not only welcomed, but are also sought?
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