Mickens, editor and publisher of Working It Out, lists 100 companies and describes what makes them amenable to gay and lesbian employees, but that only takes a fourth of the book. Approximately half the text is an overview of the issues raised by lesbians and gays in the workplace, including changes that have occurred and what businesses need to know. The book closes with a discussion offering ways to predict in the interview whether the company in question would be a good place for a gay or lesbian to work and also deals with the question of whether to "come out" or not. Unfortunately, because of the title, it is likely that only gay and lesbian jobseekers will choose this book rather than managers and human resource people for whom it seems targeted. This valuable, well-written, informative account deserves to be read much more widely.
Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Mickens is a clear, forceful writer who prefaces his list of gay-friendly businesses with several chapters, containing plenty of good summary reporting and even better interpretation of trends, on why being gay-friendly is good business and how progress in accepting gays and lesbians at work has been made and continues. This section concludes with advice to companies on steps toward achieving a gay-friendly workplace. The list includes nonprofits and government agencies as well as private employers; each is rated excellent, good, or "trying" in its supportiveness of gays. Unfortunately, some of the employer characterizations are bizarre; e.g., the American Friends Service Committee is said to "run the earthly affairs of the religious Society of Friends," which, if true, would have many a Quaker meeting wondering why it's worried about upkeep of the meeting house. The book ends with advice to the "talent," i.e., employees, about finding a gay-friendly company or making the one you're with gay-friendly. Ray Olson
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