Even in 2017, when same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide for two years, some LGBT lawyers still don't feel comfortable enough to be “out” at work.

That's something that the Austin LGBT Bar Association hopes to change. Over the past five years, the group—along with other local minority bar associations—has asked the biggest firms in Austin to report how many LGBT lawyers work there. The association has made a difference by talking openly about the issue and helping to train law firms to collect LGBT lawyer data.

Texas Lawyer spoke with Fred Sultan, a co-founder of the Austin LGBT Bar Association, about how collecting this data can help make LGBT lawyers more comfortable at work, adding to a firm's diversity and ability to represent diverse clients. Here are Sultan's answers, edited for brevity and clarity.