The technology sphere is in a need for more representation and data regarding LGBTQ+ people, and there are steps being taken to address that.People who openly identify as LGBTQ+ are currently estimated to make up only 2-3% of the tech sector, a startling 2024 statistic from research done by Women Tech Network. As of 2024, CompTIA reports that the technology industry accounts for 5.8% of the U.S. workforce, well over 12 million people.There is very little available data that expands on differing identities of LGBTQ+ individuals within such an expansive field, such as those who identify beyond traditional gender identities. Two thirds of the tech space is reported to be white, and half of the overall population is reported to be male. In executive positions, more than three quarters of positions are filled by just men.There have been long-standing organizations and individuals who are the exception to data such as this, and who have been campaigning for their voices to be heard in the tech community. Web designer Tracy Levesque is one of these individuals.Tracy Levesque is the director of web development for creative agency karmadharma, a certified B corporation. Levesque, alongside her wife Mia and Tara Maxon, was the cofounder of YIKES Inc., acquired by karmadharma in 2024.YIKES Inc. was a WordPress VIP web development agency in Fishtown, working with businesses and nonprofit organizations. Levesque has a plethora of experience in WordPress software and coding. She has spoken at many different WordCamps including those in Philadelphia, New York City, Montreal, San Francisco and more. She was also a part of contributions to several versions of WordPress core and organized the 2015 and 2016 inaugural WordCamp U.S.conference in Philadelphia.We started doing this in the mid 90s, Levesque says. So me and my wife, Mia, just had an interest in technology in general. But then we were involved in the queer activist community. Kiyoshi Kuromiya set us up with our first email accounts and showed us how to read message boards and things like that. And then when the web came along, before it was graphical, it was just text. We taught ourselves how to make web pages. And then when it became a graphical, we taught ourselves HTML to make websites. And so we were doing this on a volunteer basis for different activist groups. And then we met another woman, also lesbian, and they were a real genius with programming. And so the three of us were just doing this, and were like, Hey, you know, we do this for free. We should start a business!According to data from the Kapor Center, tech employees of all backgrounds reported unfair treatment as their number-one factor in leaving their job. There was a clear distinction in this study in the different experiences faced by employees of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and women. Twenty-four percent of LGBTQ+ employees were reported to face public humiliation, the largest in this regard of any other group in the study. Additionally, 1 in 10 women reported sexual harassment, and 40% of men of color were stated to leave due to unfairness.As owners and founders, we have always chosen to be out, always, Levesque said. We were never closeted as a companyespecially being women in technology, and then lesbians and technology from 1996 until now. We never hid itI always wonder if that lost us work. I mean, it must have, but at the same time, I really dont care.A 2023 study by Deloitte reported that less than half of participants felt comfortable being out with their sexuality or gender identity at work. Exclusive behavior toward transgender participants was found to be 55%, 52% to nonbinary or genderqueer participants, and 42% for all respondents. According to the Human Rights Campaign, while 84% of LGBTQ+ workers are out to at least one person, 35% face harassment from coworkers, with 54% of transgender and nonbinary workers saying they have felt depressed at work.Technology workforces can be incredibly multifaceted; coding, website design, digital marketing and cybersecurity are just a small pool of examples of what tech can encompass. Technology is at the center of so much in our modern society, new investments in AI and more have placed so many people in new positions of everyday reliance for this huge industry.Weve always had a mission to support marginalized people in tech from the outset, Levesque reflected. No one really takes what youre saying seriously until a man says what you just said. I feel like theres been so many times where Im the only woman in the room, and even now you still have to prove yourself every time that you know what youre talking about, because a mediocre man can show up and its assumed that he knows what hes talking about, because its a dude. The default assumption is that someone who is an expert at tech is a white guy. And that is just not true. Its just your bias.She continued, As a human being, Im a pretty intersectional person. My moms from the Philippines. My dads a Jewish guy from the Bronx, and, you know, Im a lesbian. So we always have to keep in mind that some people have more identities that make them an even more marginalized member of society. And then all the unconscious biases that people hold in their brains for people that they encounter just multiply.Weve always had a mission to support marginalized people in tech from the outset.Tracy LevesqueIssues like misinformation lie at the forefront of technological concerns, with problems potentially spreading faster than they can be put out. Misinformation disproportionately affects people who are LGBTQ+, BIPOC and women. Outrage online toward growing inclusivity from popular brands and companies continues to grow, and have a real effect on LGBTQ+ experiences. With these recent developments, there seems to be a bigger question of what responsibility do tech companies and researchers have to address in regards to representation?The Republicans love to throw us under the bus and freak people out with scary queer people whenever they want votes, which is really frustrating that, like, still we are the scapegoats, Levesque continues. How thats presented to people changes. Right now, its really focused on trans folks and I just think its disgusting to sacrifice human human beings and throw them under the bus to gain power, because youre really affecting lives. Youre really hurting people.For many, the answer is building within your own community. There are several tech companies that place LGBTQ+ inclusion at the forefront of their values.Lesbians Who Tech is an organization created to address pay equity for LGBTQ+ women, women of color, and nonbinary people in the workforce. They work to provide education and resources for companies invested in diversity and inclusion. Notable individuals such as actor Elliot Page, Deloittes China Widener, former Georgia State Rep. Stacey Abrams and others have spoken at their events.Out in Tech is the largest nonprofit organization of tech leaders who are LGBTQ+, having around 50,000 members. They have financial support from businesses such as Disney, eBay, Uber, TikTok and many more. Their website can be used as a resource in gaining support from other LGBTQ+ organizations in tech, as well as finding a community. They offer events nationwide in both online and in person formats to connect and assist in networking.In 2023, the organization LGBT Tech was able to provide more than $70,000 to tech students, with 80% of their program participants becoming employed upon graduating. The organization itself exists to provide the research, programs and resources that are sorely needed for LGBTQ+ individuals in tech.These examples show that there are active steps taken within the LGBTQ+ tech community to understand and improve the average experience for the discounted peoples in these workspaces.Levesque looks to the future with positivity.Im an optimist, she said. I always think the future is bright even with backlash and setbacks. Compared to where things were in the 90s and we couldnt even legally be married. Its just a completely different world. Theres also just more organizations now, like Lesbians Who Tech, because of the growing community around it. There was nothing like that when we were starting out in the 90s, and people are just more out in tech. The head of Apple is an out gay guy. I think that open-source communities at least the ones that Im involved with [at] WordPress have diversity and inclusion on their agenda. If you look at the list of folks who have access to WordPress, who can push code to the project themselves, theres a lot of queer people. I know at least in WordPress, the LGBT bench is pretty deep, and were a pretty strong community.This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.The post LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion in the tech sector appeared first on News Is Out.