"Homophobia to Hope: My 30 Years of Being Out and Proud In the Corporate World", 13 Jan 2016

…[W]hen I was living in Houston, Texas…[t]he mayor…drove a progressive policy agenda…including an ordinance to end discrimination in the hiring of…employees based on their sexual orientation…However…a number of…business leaders came together to…overturn the Council's vote…At the time I was gay by night but straight by day…So…I nodded quiet approval…[to] the financial support the company would provide to the repeal effort…That evening I called the equality campaign and began raising money…Sadly…the non-discrimination ordinance was repealed…I left the company…In a number of countries, homosexual relationships and expression is still considered a crime…This is why the discussions we will be having on LGBT issues in Davos later this month are so important. Thought-leading companies working in partnership with civil society organizations…have the opportunity…to shine a bright light on the business and social value of diversity and inclusion… At Microsoft, we believe diversity…helps drive our business and our bottom line…