Note to Tim Cook: We Need Corporate Action, Not Another ‘It Gets Better’ Story

By Peter Grace

Apple CEO Tim Cook finally “came out.” To anyone in the gay community, this was no shocker. He’s been on our radar for some time. He’s topped OUT Magazine’s Power List since 2011. So, what’s the big deal? And why now? Apple is among a number of tech giants that are currently under attack for their dismal diversity data. In many ways, I would argue that Cook’s coming out was a sly, timely PR move by Apple to use its gay CEO to distract from its lack of diversity.

Don’t get me wrong, this was a great thing to happen. I am a firm believer in Harvey Milk’s maxim, "Come out, come out, wherever you are." The more of us that come out – whether it’s to our coworkers, relatives, strangers – the more likely we’ll be accepted as everyday people. For someone as powerful as Cook to come out is certainly positive visibility for the LGBT community and sends an encouraging signal to other gay business leaders to do the same.

The cascade of positive media coverage that has followed his piece in Bloomberg Businessweek echoes this sentiment. Slate called it a “lovely essay.” HuffPo’s Gay Voices heralded him, listing “the top 12 words that made me tear up.” For a relatively quiet company like Apple to suddenly take a voice on this issue is indeed remarkable – but also suspect.

Have we forgotten what we learned over the summer? Apple is largely white and male. Less than a third of Apple’s employees are women, with significantly less at the top.

I could be jaded (since joining the PR world, reading a byline has never been the same), but Cook’s article subtly weaves in a narrative that would suggest Apple’s culture represents a rainbow of diversity. “The company I am so fortunate to lead has long advocated for human rights and equality for all,” Cook claims. “I’ve had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences.”

This is a peculiar platform to say all this. To coolly publish an ‘it gets better’ article on a national business outlet, instead of opening yourself up on camera where we can really jump through that rainbow and feel what it’s like to work in Apple’s culture, is too passive for what could be a major opportunity.

The real opportunity here was missed: Cook is gay, so how is Cook applying his attitude and experience to change his own company’s culture? What is he doing as a leader to engage and include a diverse workforce at the company? How is he leveraging his and Apple’s position to address the problem of diversity in tech? Other companies like Google aren’t shy about the fact that a) they lack a culture of diversity and inclusion and b) they’re taking proactive steps to make it a priority for the future of their business.

Something that could have been more honest, and more impactful: ‘When we think about diversity, we often overlook the LGBT community. Gay marriage has swept the nation, but did you know it’s still legal to get fired in 29 states just for being gay? That’s why Apple will not sell its products to suppliers who discriminate based on sexual orientation. Because I’m gay, and this matters.’

If you’re going to take a stand on a social issue – with all of Apple’s power and might – make it matter!

Image credit: Flickr/Abd allah Foteih Peter Grace is an account executive at Edelman and a team member of Edelman's Business + Social Purpose practice, specializing in corporate and CSR communications. The views represented in this article are my own and not those of my company.