LGBTQ+ workers earn about 10 percent less over their lifetimes compared to straight white men — and LGBTQ+ people of color, transgender people and nonbinary people earn even less. A host of factors contribute to this, including a shortage of LGBTQ+ role models in leadership positions and fewer opportunities for sponsorship and mentorship from leaders outside the community.

Another factor that's less discussed is the mental toll that comes with being "different" from what is perceived as the norm.

"Part of the challenge for folks who are part of the community is that there's a constant feeling of having to 'come out' at work. People who are heterosexual, they don't have to constantly come out to people," said John Volturo, a partner at the coaching, consulting and investment firm Evolution. "It's draining emotionally. People who are part of the community often don't have as much energy at the end of the day because they're constantly in a fight mode."

The gender pay gap is generally well known: White women earn 20 percent less than men on average, a figure that increases for women of color — including a 30 percent gap for Black women and a 35 percent gap for Latina women.

The LGBTQ+ pay gap is less understood, though the factors that drive pay discrepancies for people in the community often mirror the experiences other historically marginalized groups report at work.

Take, for example, this longitudinal study of Black women who received an MBA from Harvard Business School, arguably the most competitive business school in the United States. Though published in 2018, the study offers a rare glimpse into the long-term effects of being an "other" in the workplace. Within 40 years of graduation, only 13 percent of Black women who received a Harvard MBA went on to reach the senior executive ranks in their fields, compared to 40 percent of Harvard MBAs overall.

Of the Black women who managed to reach the top, many said they struggled to “be themselves” at work and often felt “on display” in their workplaces. “It makes you work hard to make sure you’re never misstepping,” one Black woman CEO told the Harvard Business Review.

Of course the experiences of a Black woman and a white man in the workplace will be very different, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. But the internal conflict that comes from feeling "on display" is echoed by people in the LGBTQ+ community — and many say it holds them back from growing in their roles.

"Yes, more people than ever feel comfortable coming out," said Evolution partner Peter Gandolfo. "But there's this question looming over them: Will their decision to be 'out' and 'how out' they're going to be have a detrimental impact on their standing within the organization?"

It can seem even harder to be open at work as increasingly hostile rhetoric toward the community continues to make headlines in the U.S. "Ten years ago, being out was one thing. Today it feels like you're opening yourself up for a political debate that could ensue in the workplace," Gandolfo said.

The constant need to "come out," and the fear of what could happen when they do, adds up to LGBTQ+ people feeling they can't be their authentic selves in the workplace, which research shows has detrimental effects on career growth.

Read the full article about LGBTQ+ pay gap by Mary Mazzoni at Triple Pundit.