Pursuits
Q&A: Former BP CEO John Browne on Getting Out of the Closet
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In May 2007, when John Browne quit as chief executive officer of BP after failing to stop a tabloid from chronicling his affair with a male escort, he described his “sexuality as a personal matter, to be kept private.” Now the man who often took his mother to business functions until her death in 2000 is pushing for leaders to come out and speak out on lesbian, gay, and transgender rights.
Browne explains why in his new book, The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out Is Good Business. Here he tells Bloomberg Businessweek about what prompted his change of heart. The interview has been edited and condensed.