68% of LGBTQ+ Employees Would Leave an Employer That Stops Supporting Them, New Research Finds

Employers pulling back on visible LGBTQ+ support are facing a talent problem, according to new research that puts hard numbers on the cost of corporate silence.

The Harris Poll's Inclusive Insights: LGBTQ+ & the Workplace study, based on responses from 650 LGBTQ+ employees and 2,432 non-LGBTQ+ employees in the US, found that 68% of LGBTQ+ workers say they would leave a company if they felt it no longer supported LGBTQ+ employees. A further 80% say they are less likely to trust an employer that becomes quieter about LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The findings suggest the retreat is rarely dramatic. Rather than headline policy reversals, 62% of LGBTQ+ employees reported noticing at least one meaningful change in how their employer communicates about LGBTQ+ staff or issues — more cautious language, a shift from belonging towards legal compliance, and less internal or public communication. Around 40% said discussion of LGBTQ+ issues at work had decreased or never happened at all.

That quietness has behavioural consequences. Nearly two thirds of LGBTQ+ respondents said they had self-censored or adjusted their behaviour at work because of the current climate, avoiding personal conversations, staying silent when issues arise, or being more careful about what they share with colleagues. Only 28% said their company supports LGBTQ+ people both internally and publicly.

Tim Osiecki, director of thought leadership and trends at The Harris Poll, noted that corporate silence does not read as neutral to employees; when companies go quiet, LGBTQ+ workers may interpret it as a signal about whether leadership will stand by them when the conversation gets difficult.

The wider context supports that reading. Fortune 500 participation in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index dropped 65% this year, from 377 companies in 2025 to 131 in 2026 — though HRC found that among those who did submit, policies and benefits were sustained or expanded rather than rolled back.

Why it matters for talent: Perhaps the most striking finding is that this isn't only an LGBTQ+ issue. Nearly half of non-LGBTQ+ employees said they notice when their company becomes less vocal, and just over two-thirds said their employer's treatment of LGBTQ+ colleagues matters to them and shapes their trust in leadership. For employers competing for talent, visible inclusion functions as a proxy for integrity: a signal to every candidate about whether stated values survive contact with pressure.