How LGBTQ employees at Kodak risked their careers to build a safer, more inclusive workplace

There was a time when you could be fired from your job for being gay. It took LGBTQ employees at companies like Kodak to challenge workplace discrimination and transform corporate culture.

By: Tamar Carroll, Rochester Institute of Technology, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 18, 2026

Words: 1,443

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Tamar Carroll, Rochester Institute of Technology

As corporations sponsor floats and employee marches during Pride Month parades, it’s important to remember just how recently the majority of American office workers felt they had to conceal their sexuality in the workplace.

In the 1970s there were no legal protections for LGBTQ workers outside of a handful of cities. If a company found out you were gay, it could fire you on the spot.

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