Darren Cooper, Out Now

Interview by Darren Cooper
Senior Consultant, Out Now


August 3, 2014


You can read a GMN review of John Browne's new book The Glass Closet here. 



One of the world's most important business leaders faced intense pressure during April 2007. 

For many days that month John Browne (now Lord Browne), the CEO of one of the world's largest companies - BP - knew that a tabloid newspaper had information about him they wanted to print, something that he had sought to keep secret for years.

John Browne had made it to the top of BP as a very much 'in-the-closet' gay man - and he knew that one of the often ferocious British tabloid newspapers had information about this fact and they planned to out him.

Browne tried very hard - and ultimately unsuccessfully - to stop them doing this.

Browne's outing in the media coincided with his resignation from the top job at BP.  BBC Business Editor Robert Peston at the time called the resignation a "sad end to what was, until recently, a distinguished career". 

In this exclusive interview with Darren Cooper, Lord Browne explains for Gay Market News readers what it felt like the night before he resigned from BP, why he chose not to come out, whether he now regrets this, what he thinks of homophobes at work - and what has happened in the years since this secret he had sought to conceal for so very long has become widely-known public knowledge about him.

Lord Browne

DC: As you were progressing through your career at BP, did you not come out for fear of being promoted, or because you felt that other members of you team might reject you, or was it something else entirely?

JB: When I was a child, homosexual acts were still illegal, something which only changed while I was at university. Growing up in that environment had a chilling effect on the way people like me thought about their sexuality, and I repressed any thought of being open about myself. I was also heavily influenced by my mother, an Auschwitz survivor, who counselled me never to trust anybody with my secrets because they would inevitably be used against me. At BP, I simply saw no purpose in coming out. In hindsight, of course, I was wrong, and I wish I had been brave enough to come out sooner, particularly during my tenure as chief executive, when I could have had a big impact on others struggling with a hidden life.


DC. How did you feel the night before you knew that this secret you had held close for so long was about to be made public?

JB: My outing was the culmination of four months of legal battles, so I had spent plenty of time preparing for the inevitable. It did not come as a surprise, and in many ways, it came as a relief. I think that many people who come out after a long period of being in the closet experience the same feelings.


DC. After you were outed did any of the concerns or fears that you had before materialise, or were there any issues that arose that you didn't expect as a result?

JB: I assumed that I would have to slip into quiet retirement, and that most of my colleagues and business partners would not speak to me again. That could not have been further from the truth. I received hundreds of supportive letters from members of the public, as well as a public letter of support signed by some close friends and supporters. Just one of the letters I received was negative, and only a handful of people broke contact with me. Almost everybody else already suspected that I was gay, or when they found out, did not care. When I interviewed people for my book 'The Glass Closet', I found that people’s worst fears almost never materialise when they come out.


 DC. Were you surprised with any of the reactions of people or the public, and what was the biggest revelation for you?

JB: I made friends I never would have met had I not come out, including my partner of the last 7 years. 


DC: What would you think are the most important things that you had learned from this whole process?

JB: When it comes to the acceptance and inclusion of minorities in organisations, the most important thing is the tone set at the top. One small slip, like assuming that every man is married to a woman, can have a big impact on people who are thinking about coming out. In every aspect of their work, a chief executive should do nothing which excludes people, and should be uncompromising in expecting the same behaviours from the internal team. If people are being homophobic they need to go, regardless of how good they are in business. In my experience, it is also critical to identify and celebrate role models. If closeted employees can identify with someone who has been through the closet door and succeeded, then they are more likely to let go of the fears which hold them back. At BP, I did not have an openly gay role model, nor did I have the advantage of looking to another chief executive for precedent. Without a gay role model, I failed to be one for others. 

You can read all about what happened in 2007 and what Lord Browne has to say in 2014 about the importance of LGBT business executives coming out to become role models in his new book The Glass Closet. To read real-life case studies, visit www.glasscloset.org, where you can also find a 'buy' link for the book. The Glass Closet is also on sale via Amazon and available now at leading bookstores.  

In October 2014, Out Now will release groundbreaking new research covering the latest workplace findings from its LGBT2020 study. The "LGBT Diversity: Show Me The Business Case" report provides new insights measuring real-world financial improvements to the corporate bottom-line able to be achieved through the development and implementation of effective LGBT inclusionary policies at work. For pre-release information, contact Out Now (info(at)outnowconsulting.com).


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