Corner Closet Opens Up a Bit Wider; New York Times, 9/5/14

James B. Stewart, New York Times; Corner Closet Opens Up a Bit Wider:

"Several of Mr. Burgess’s friends pointed out that once his bank went public, he’d be one of the first publicly gay chief executives. “I didn’t really think it was a story,” he said. “It just is what it is. But I did feel a sense of obligation to the generation behind me. We have good gay role models now in professional basketball and football, but there just weren’t many in business. I thought if I could be helpful to somebody, that would be great.”

Mr. Grenfell-Gardner expressed similar sentiments. “I hope the next generation realizes they can be whoever they want to be,” he said.

Mr. Sears said he encouraged Mr. Burgess to speak out. “It’s incredibly important for people to see that there are gay C.E.O.s,” Mr. Sears said. “So for Trevor and Jason to come out publicly as gay, that’s historic. At the same time, it’s mundane. They’re both C.E.O.s with partners and families and they’re just doing their jobs like everyone else. There’s nothing unique about that.”

Even now, Mr. Grenfell-Gardner said: “I don’t really want to be the poster child for gay C.E.O.s. There are so many talented people who have been mentors to me, both gay and straight. I want an environment where diversity is woven into our DNA as an organization. It makes us stronger. Forty percent of my leadership team is female. In the high-performance culture we’re trying to build, respect and tolerance is hard-wired. That’s what’s important to me.”"