Internship Application Asking Candidates’ Sexual Orientation Stirs Controversy

A recent internship application has sparked significant controversy after requesting candidates to disclose their sexual orientation. An applicant, identifying as a cisgender male, expressed frustration over what he perceived as potential bias in the hiring process. He shared a screenshot of the application, which asked for details on race, gender, sexual orientation, and preferred pronouns. The candidate responded with “Straight/Heterosexual” for sexual orientation, “White” for race, and “He/him” for pronouns. He remarked, “Going to assume I will not land this internship” while posting the application image.

Public Debate

The incident has triggered a heated debate online. Some users questioned the appropriateness and legality of including sexual orientation questions in job applications. One user asked, “I haven’t had to apply for a job in a long time. Is it normal to ask sexual orientation? Is it even legal?”

Others expressed concern that such inquiries could be discriminatory. One comment read, “I can’t believe there’s now a race/gender/sexuality question on every resume.”

Clarifications and Perspectives

In response, some clarified that such questions are legal and typically used for diversity statistics rather than influencing hiring decisions. A user explained, “It’s legal and very normal. Pretty sure most recruitment teams won’t even see this. It’s just to give some statistics on applicants later on.”

However, others suggested that these questions might not always be applied equitably. One commenter noted, “People assume this is for ‘diversity hiring,’ but 9 times out of 10, it’s bigoted employees who prefer cisgender, heterosexual men.” Another added, “From what I’ve heard, using trans options makes you less likely to get a job as they tend to complain or cause issues with other staff.”