Brian McNaught

Named "the godfather of gay sensitivity training" by The New York Times, Brian McNaught is a best-selling author of six books on gay issues and is recognized as the world's leading corporate diversity consultant addressing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues in the workplace.

For over twenty-five years, McNaught has drawn on personal experiences -- including a failed suicide attempt, coming out to his parents and co-workers, and being fired for being gay -- to help audiences understand what it's like to grow up gay in America. McNaught has addressed hundreds of professional and university audiences throughout North America, including those at Harvard, Vanderbilt, Indiana University, Holy Cross, Penn State, MIT, and UCLA. He has also provided training and consultancy for major corporations including Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Credit Suisse.

McNaught has also produced and is featured in six educational DVDs, including "On Being Gay," "Gay Issues In The Workplace," "Growing Up Gay and Lesbian," "Homophobia In The Workplace," "Gay/Straight: Can We Talk?" and "Understanding and Managing Gay and Transgender Issues in the Workplace." He hosts a public television program titled "Stonewall Portraits: Profiles in Pride" and has developed online resources such as “A Managers’ Guide to Gay and Transgender Workplace Issues.” His influential role continues as he educates managers and employees on inclusion at corporations and his work appears in multiple college texts and anthologies of gay/lesbian non-fiction literature.

During the early 1980s, McNaught served as the Mayor of Boston's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian community. In this role, he conducted a citywide study of constituent needs, initiated and coordinated the city's response to the AIDS epidemic, and trained police, health, and other service providers. McNaught earned his B.A in Journalism from Marquette University and is certified by the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) as a sexuality educator.