Transparent salary bands make fair pay easier to achieve — but many companies still keep compensation information vague or entirely hidden. For LGBTQ+ professionals, who may already face wage gaps, biased evaluations, or fewer informal networks, this lack of clarity can make negotiations feel intimidating. Still, you can advocate for fair pay even when your employer doesn’t disclose ranges. With strategy, data, and confidence, you can make a strong case for compensation that matches your impact.
Start by Building Your Own Salary Benchmarking Toolkit
If your company won’t provide salary bands, you can collect your own data. Look beyond a single source and combine information from:
- Industry salary reports
- Job postings for similar roles
- Crowdsourced salary databases
- Professional associations
- Trusted colleagues in your field
- LGBTQ+ professional networks and affinity groups
This blend of external and community-based data helps you approximate a realistic range — and gives you evidence to support your request.
Document Your Value Quantifiably and Consistently
Even without company salary clarity, you can control how clearly you present your impact. Build a running document that captures:
- Projects completed
- Revenue influenced
- Time saved through your work
- Improvements to team efficiency
- Positive client or stakeholder feedback
- Responsibilities you’ve taken on beyond your role
You don’t need perfection — you need receipts. In opaque pay systems, your documentation becomes your leverage.
Use Strategic Questions to Surface Hidden Information
Managers at non-transparent companies may not volunteer salary bands, but they often reveal helpful context when asked direct, neutral questions. You could ask:
- “What does compensation typically look like for someone in my role and performance level?”
- “How do you determine increases for employees who exceed expectations?”
- “Can you share the criteria used to evaluate compensation?”
- “What would I need to demonstrate to reach the next pay tier?”
These questions show initiative and may prompt managers to share guidance they don’t typically offer.
Make a Fact-Based Case Tied to Business Outcomes
Frame your request around impact, not personal need. This keeps the conversation professional and aligned with what organizations value.
Try language like:
- “Based on the market data I’ve gathered and the results I’ve delivered, I believe a salary adjustment to ___ reflects the value I provide.”
- “My contributions in X and Y areas have directly supported our team’s goals. I’d like to discuss aligning my compensation with that level of performance.”
Confidence communicates that you’ve done your homework.
Use Allies and Networks to Fill in the Gaps
Opaque pay systems thrive on isolation. Community counteracts that. Tap into:
- LGBTQ+ professional associations
- Employee resource groups
- Former colleagues
- Trusted mentors
- Industry peers
People are often more willing to share salary information privately than publicly — and these conversations can give you a clearer picture of what’s possible.
Prepare for Multiple Outcomes — Not Just a Yes or No
Not every negotiation results in an immediate raise. That doesn’t mean the conversation wasn’t successful. You can also negotiate for:
- A timeline for future increases
- Additional responsibilities with pay adjustments
- Professional development funding
- Title updates
- Benefits enhancements
These options build long-term career value even when salary movement is limited.
You Deserve Fair Pay — Even in Opaque Systems
Lack of transparency is a system issue, not a reflection of your worth. LGBTQ+ professionals often have to advocate for themselves more assertively, and doing so with data and clarity increases your negotiating power. When you combine external benchmarking, documented results, strategic questions, and community insight, you create your own roadmap for fair compensation — even when your company won’t provide one.
