Image: Forbes
In celebration of Pride Month, we throw it back to a time when coming out of the closet could also mean coming out of your job, even in the automotive industry. Those were the days of Allan Gilmour’s first stint at Ford Motor Company. Allan was one of the company’s brightest finance executives and took immense pride in his work. But there was one part of him that had to remain hidden: his sexual orientation.
Thankfully, by the time Allan returned to Ford years later, he had come out of the closet and, somewhat unintentionally, straight into the headlines. He would go on to become one of the first openly gay senior executives in the American automotive industry, helping pave the way for others to live more openly while also contributing to a workplace culture that became increasingly welcoming of LGBTQ employees.
Hidden Away: Allan’s First Chapter at Ford
Allan graduated from Exeter and Harvard, after which he climbed the corporate ladder and, in 1986, landed the job he had long wanted as the Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Company. Determined to be known solely for the quality of his work, Allan kept deeply personal parts of his life out of the workplace, including his sexuality. At the time, that was the reality for many LGBTQ professionals. Long before diversity and inclusion became common corporate language, revealing who you were could cost you opportunities, relationships, or even your career. Whenever colleagues asked questions about his personal life, Allan became an expert at answering without really answering.
Speaking to Fortune, Allan explained:
“Being gay complicated my life. Gay people don’t lie; they dissemble. ‘What did you do this past weekend?’ people will ask. ‘Well, I did a few things, and gee, I was busy and wasn’t it hot and the Tigers won’ or something. You give, if you will, a little answer. Not the wrong answer but a partial answer.“
Interestingly, Allan didn’t immediately recognise that he was gay. It wasn’t until midway through his career that the pieces slowly began to fall into place.
“…I was thinking as I got older, ‘Hmmm.’ I had never married, never gotten engaged, never been serious, though I came close to being serious twice. So I started thinking it through, picked up some books, starting reading and reflecting about the experiences of gay people, and gradually concluded that this was me,”
Allan told Fortune.
As Allan came to understand himself, he quietly began connecting with the LGBTQ community, but always away from the public eye. As Deadline Detroit put it:
“He operated in clandestine ways, setting up P.O. boxes where he could receive LGBT publications in secret, and traveling to cities like New York and Los Angeles to observe gay culture and people.“
After several successful years at Ford, Allan believed he was in pole position to become the company’s next CEO. Instead, he was passed over. Allan is unsure whether his then-rumored sexual orientation played any role in that decision. But missing out on that role eventually marked the end of his first chapter at Ford.
Outed for Good
Leaving Ford turned out to be an unexpected turning point. Without the weight of representing Ford hanging over him, Allan found it easier to embrace who he was.
“What worried me most about coming out was the effect on Ford. It could be damaging for Ford, not just for the potential controversy but because there would be some who would say, ‘I’m not going to do business with them,“
Allan told Fortune.
With those worries behind him, Allan became more involved in LGBTQ events and causes. And his growing interest in gay philanthropy eventually led to an accidental public coming out.
A local gay and lesbian newspaper, Between the Lines, invited Allan to join a panel discussing charitable giving within the LGBTQ community. There was no grand announcement or dramatic declaration. But the interview received far more attention than expected. Suddenly, Allan’s sexuality was public knowledge.
Expecting difficult conversations, Allan reached out to several chairmen and CEOs he worked with to explain the situation. Instead, he was met with overwhelming support. Just like that, there was no longer any need to live two separate lives. Allan could openly attend the events he cared about and advocate for causes he believed in without looking over his shoulder.
In 2002, when Allan was about to return to Ford as Vice Chairman, one of the most reassuring comments came during the hiring process.
“No board member ever mentioned the fact that you were gay when we were talking about bringing you back.“
That statement spoke volumes about how much attitudes inside one of America’s biggest automakers had already begun to change.
Today, we’ve largely moved beyond an era where coming out automatically meant risking your career. But, as Allan reminds us, progress isn’t the same as completion.
Speaking to Love to All Project, Allan reflected:
“For us older people, we look back and think enormous progress has been made. For younger people, they look ahead and say enormous progress needs to be made. And both are right. Things are much better compared to how they were 30-40 years ago…“
Perhaps nothing illustrates that progress better than Ford itself.
The same company where Allan once felt it was safer to remain silent now has LGBTQ employee resource groups and anti-discrimination policies that protect employees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
We appreciate Ford and every auto company that has policies protecting the LGBTQ community; support for the community should go beyond celebrating Pride Month or flying the rainbow flag every June. It should include creating workplaces where people don’t have to hide who they are to succeed. It means ensuring employees are judged by the quality of their work, not by whom they love. It means listening to LGBTQ voices year-round, supporting organizations that serve the community, and ensuring hard-earned progress isn’t quietly undone.
Allan believes the next challenge is protecting the gains already made.
“I think now we should focus on the noisy people who are attacking what we have achieved and making it harder to achieve anything else. Be ready to counter various attacks, whether they be in law or in practice. We don’t want to regress. That’s the #1 task for us right now. Going forward, we need to improve the things we’ve fought for in the past. So first, don’t lose, but second, on the whole array of issues, just keep pushing,”
Allan told Love to All Project.
Philanthropy remains close to his heart as, in addition to supporting many gay communities, he established The GIlmour-Jirgens Fund to support charitable organizations. He confirmed to Fortune that:
“There is much I want to do. It is easier now to pursue gay issues, particularly philanthropy. I’ll soon be writing letters to corporations in the Detroit area to ask for money for the HOPE (Helping Others through Partnerships and Education) Fund. Before the publicity, it was unlikely I would have done that. Gay charitable needs are big; the involvement of corporations and foundations is very small. Gays need as much support as straight people. Almost by definition, one’s parents aren’t gay.”
Looking back, Allan has said he has no regrets about his corporate career. He doesn’t believe being gay ultimately prevented him from building a successful life in business. If anything, his only regret is that it took him so long to discover that this was who he was.
Today, Allan’s story as part of LGBTQ and automotive history reminds us that the industry didn’t become more inclusive overnight. People like Allan Gilmour had to carry the weight of staying hidden long before it was safe to be themselves. Every Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate that progress and remember those who made it possible, while noting that the work isn’t finished.
Gabriel Olakunori
Gabriel likes to (blindly) argue that SUVs are part of nature, and he might just have a point when you're walking in the snow, crossing bone-dry deserts, gliding down splendid park-like boulevards, or navigating rocky roads. He has over seven years of experience writing across a broad spectrum of topics, many within the automotive industry. If he is not at the desk w̶r̶i̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ having fun, he is at the wheel d̶r̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ having fun. Either way, the road leads to the same destination: bliss. Gabriel loves SUVs for their all-inclusiveness, but he cannot turn down an offer to drive or write about any vehicle.
