The world has a long way to go before it can truly be comfortable working beyond the given classifications of gender, ethnicity, sexual preference and race. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who go to work every day aren't interested in hiding their true selves. They'd prefer to waste energy in hiding aspects of their personalities that may not fall in line with the orthodox perception of a binary workplace. However, many LGBT workers in the professional services industry do not reveal their sexuality out of fear for the backlash they might receive and the rescinded opportunities, just based on superiors or team members that don't agree with their sexual orientation.

Even though there seems to have been a lot of progress and a call for acceptance in most of the US and Europe for the LGBT community, there are still more countries where displays of homosexuality could land a person into torture cells, prison time or even death. Therefore, the challenges that gay and trans people face in Western countries are still minor (except for the occasional and hideous hate crime), as compared to other countries.

If we take the UK as an example, did you know that at least 34% of transgender, bisexual, lesbian and gay people choose not to come out of the closet when they're at work. Why do they hide it? It's to hide their personal lives from colleagues and clients out of fear of homophobia. It's also to not be excluded or overlooked when it comes to promotions and other activities.

LGBT people don't need to be reminded that they reside and function in a hetero-normative society. It's hard for them to dodge questions about family life if they're trying to keep their sexuality hidden. It could be a board meeting or on the factory floor but those intrusive and general questions can feel like bullets. They are afraid of making work relations difficult. There's also of the stigma attached to a misunderstanding of transgender people which fuels issues.

As a leader in the financial services industry, Ivan M. Illan is impacting the perception of LGBT visibility in workplaces. Being a happily married gay man himself, he knows what the challenges are that are faced, particularly in the old boys club that is Wall Street. He is a Certified Fund Specialist (CFS), Member of CFA Institute, and earned finance and philosophy degrees from Boston College.

He has worked professionally for over two decades in the wealth management industry. Since 1996, Ivan has raised and managed over $1Billion in assets under management (AUM). He bought his first stock in 1987 at age 13, after early inspiration from his grandfather, who was the Undersecretary of the Treasury for the Castro Revolutionary Government. Ivan is also an Official Member of Forbes Finance Council, Forbes Contributor and CommunityVoice, Financial Times Top Financial Adviser, Five Star Wealth Manager, Investopedia Premier Advisor, and Founder Chief Investment Officer at a nationally recognized wealth advisory firm serving Hollywood elite (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners).

He emphasizes through professional conduct, ethics, and business transparency, the importance of personnel diversity in the workplace. Ivan has been known to say that people of different gender identities or preferences should not feel hindered from any personal or professional development, because their differences enrich their employers and peers.