By Mauricio Leon, MBA '97
Name tags. Free drinks. Free food. McArthur Park. GSB students. Company representatives. The typical recruiting dinner, you say. This reception, however, was far from your typical recruiting dinner.
On Wednesday, January 29th, The Boston Consulting Group hosted a reception for gay, lesbian and bisexual students at the GSB. This was the first time BCG held an event targeted to gay, lesbian, and bisexual students at the GSB. About twelve first and second-years attended.
At the event, two partners, a manager and a consultant from BCG (two of them GSB alumni) discussed gay issues in the workplace. Topics included the pros and cons of being out in the workplace, managing client interactions, and the changing perceptions and attitudes toward gay and lesbian employees.
Attendees also discussed the process by which BCG extended benefits to domestic partners. BCG started offering benefits to domestic partners in 1993; sexual orientation has been in their non-discrimination statement since the late 1980's.
Students and company representatives viewed the event as a success. BCG representatives were impressed with the turnout at the event, as a similar event held at HBS earlier this year had fewer attendees. Students welcomed the opportunity to learn about the experiences of gay alumni.