One of Microsoft’s directors of government affairs kept his authentic self quiet and closed off for too long. Now, he’s working to make that path easier and safer for fellow LGBTQ+ people.

By Candace Whitney-Morris

John Galligan spent half of his adult life as a closeted gay man, a time he describes as not truly living. In fact, he said he didn’t start to live his life until his early thirties.

“I was trying to be something I wasn’t,” he said. “And that slow release of power and energy, it’s exhausting and was always affecting my work. Being very good at acting like something I wasn’t . . . it’s the art that I’d perfected.”

That all changed when Galligan met his partner, now husband, 20 years ago, who helped him accept who he was, to live as a gay man proudly, and to even confront some of his own prejudices about what he assumed people could or couldn’t handle. “I thought I was protecting people by not confronting them with who I was,” he said. “I was wrong.”

The past two decades with his husband have been a journey not only of love and fun, he said, but also in helping Galligan be more accepting of his own sexuality, who he is, and who he could become.

Galligan is now out and active in his community. He’s also a senior director for Microsoft’s global government affairs team, working to protect and advance the rights of all people, including those who are LGBTQ+ and who don’t feel safe or welcome.

Across the globe, the cultural views and tolerance around being gay still vary widely. Galligan’s team focuses in part on making sure LGBTQ+ employees are safe and supported within the walls of their workplace wherever they live.

“Microsoft can be a safe place for people to bring their authentic self, even if the outside world is hostile to them, even if their friends and family might not accept them,” he said. “They can come to a place that will accept them not just for who they are but also for who they can be.”

“I thought I was protecting people by not confronting them with who I was. I was wrong.”

Because Galligan knows what it’s like to not live his truth at work, he’s determined to help Microsoft support the rights of its employees and live up to its values of empowering every person on the planet—even when the outside culture is slow to adapt and when equality for LGBTQ+ people is lacking.

Before moving to Seattle, Galligan and his partner lived in Singapore, where there are still laws criminalizing homosexuality. And while these laws are rarely enforced, he did feel the discomfort of living in ambiguity. “The middle path is in some ways the most uncomfortable because it doesn’t challenge you to actually go out and confront systemic intolerance.”

That’s why it’s important to him that he doesn’t get too comfortable—that he remembers what some LGBTQ+ people and employees face and does what he can to help. Working in a company where the culture is attuned to human rights near and far reminds him of what inclusion feels like and what to strive for in his advocacy.

“Microsoft can be a safe place for people to bring their authentic self. They can come to a place that will accept them not just for who they are but also for who they can be.”

“I’ve never felt, in any way, excluded [at Microsoft]. I think that’s a tribute to the company, but I also think that’s a tribute to the tens of thousands of people who continue to move the company increasingly toward a diverse and inclusive environment.”

Galligan reminds himself all the time that there’s still so much to fight against. But when feelings of powerlessness threaten to steal momentum, he focuses on the power of individual contribution.

“I think the most weak and ineffectual thing we can do is to not think about what can be done on an individual level. I may not be able to change laws, but I can be proud of who I am and show others to be proud of who they are.”

He hopes that being a visible, comfortable, and confident gay man will inspire others to also be themselves and to take up the fight, because “being out and proud is not a cliché,” he said. “It’s a call to action.”

“Everyone can make a contribution, even if that contribution is to be yourself and use whatever influence you have to make the world and workplace more inclusive, more diverse, and more welcoming for everyone.”

Meet more Microsoft employees who are changing hearts and minds and advancing human rights.
https://news.microsoft.com/life/topic/pride/

See how Microsoft is celebrating Pride 2018 and how you an be an ally.
https://www.microsoft.com/pride

Learn how Microsoft and its LGBTQ+ employees push for change across borders.
https://news.microsoft.com/life/pride/

 

Video

By Andrew O’Hara
Saturday, June 09, 2018, 09:50 am PT (12:50 pm ET)

Apple’s forthcoming update to the Mac is full of new features to explore. We’ve taken a deep dive on macOS Mojave, the successor to macOS High Sierra, to find over 90 changes and new features for users.

In Mojave, the most show-stopping features include Stacks for the desktop, major improvements to Quick Look, a more powerful Finder, beefed up screen captures, Dark Mode, and (coming in 2019) the ability to port iOS apps over to the Mac. For a close focus on these top features, check out our recent hands-on. Then, read on for every change, big and small, in macOS Mojave.

[embedded content]

Desktop

• Stacks
• Dark Mode
• Dynamic Desktop

Quick Look

• Use MarkUp
• Trim videos
• Trim audio
• Rotate/crop images

Finder

• Gallery view
• New sidebar
• Quick Actions
• Full metadata
• New “Keep folders on top on desktop” option
• App recents in dock

Preferences

• New Accent Color option under General
• Random screensaver option now a checkbox
• Removed mouse options for Mission Control shortcuts
• Software Update section in Preferences
• New advanced auto update options
• iCloud News option
• iCloud Stocks option
• iCloud Home option
• Twitter login removed
• FaceBook login removed
• Allow platform switching to control your computer under accessibility
• New Typing tab under Switch Control accessibility
• Improvements to the international keyboard

Screen Capture

• New easy-to-use menu
• New screen recording options
• Can set timer for video
• Can show cursor clicks in videos
• Customize screenshot save location
• Thumbnail animates to lower corner
• Share without saving a copy

Continuity Camera

• Scan photos or documents with your iPhone
• Take photos from iPhone
• Insert into folder in Finder
• Insert right into documents

Group FaceTime

• Slightly updated UI
• (Removes + button, switches to all vs missed on top instead of audio/video.

New Apps

• Redesigned Xcode 10
• News app is new to macOS
• Stocks is new app to macOS
• Voice Memos is new app to macOS
• Home is new app to macOS
• HomeKit support on macOS

Siri

• Siri can now handle HomeKit requests
• Can find saved passwords
• Knows about food
• Knows about celebrities
• Knows about motorsports

Mac App Store

• Redesigned Mac App Store
• New Discover, Create, Work, Play, Develop tabs
• Editor curation and stories
• View purchases under Account
• Removed developer name from purchased apps
• macOS software updates removed from App Store

Security

• Mojave requires apps to get your approval before accessing the camera or microphone
• Enhanced tracking prevention
• Automatic strong password suggestion
• Flags passwords frequently used

Safari

• Favicons in Safari tabs
• View reused passwords in Safari preferences
• View password details
• Easily change password in Safari preferences
• AirDrop passwords from Safari
• Bock pop-up windows removed from preferences
• Plugin Section of Websites in Preferences removed
• One-time security code AutoFill

Photos

• Levels and curves swap spots

Books

• iBooks renamed Apple Books

Mail

• Emoji picker in Mail
• Suggested folders
• Move to button in nav bar

DVD player

• New Icon
• 64-bit
• Re-written in AppKit
• Supports Touch Bar
• New UI

System

• Core ML 2
• Metal 2
• UIKit frameworks (2019)
• UI language parity
• W3C web driver
• OpenType-SVG fonts
• Improved CSS color support
• APFS for fusion drives and hard drives
• Faster wake from sleep
• Automator shortcuts I Touch Bar
• Redesigned Lock Screen
• New save panel
• New open panel

For more on Apple’s latest updates, check out our hands-on with over 65 changes in watchOS 5.

Apple’s macOS Mojave was revealed at WWDC18 alongside iOS 12, watchOS 5, and tvOS 12.

All of Apple’s latest updates are set to be released later this fall. Stay connected with AppleInsider as we delve through the releases in the weeks and months to come.

Play Forts Multiplayer for FREE starting now through Sunday at 1PM Pacific Time. You can also pick up the game at 40% off the regular price!*

If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play Forts. If you don’t have Steam, you can download it here.

Forts is a physics-based RTS where foes design and build custom bases, arm them to the teeth and blast their opponent’s creations to rubble.

Build an armoured fort in real-time and arm it to the teeth. Collect resources, develop your tech-tree, unlock advanced weapons to target your opponent’s weak points, and feel the satisfaction as their fort comes crashing down.

*Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time

Harebrained Schemes, the studio behind Battletech, released a statement earlier today about misconduct after one of its designers was accused of sexual abuse and harassment by at least six women who spoke publicly about their experiences on Twitter. 

As reported by Waypoint the designer, Tyler Carpenter, implores the dev community to believe every accusation. “I don’t recall each one, and some I have a different recollection of, but obviously the sheer mass of shared experiences means that I’m the one who’s got a faulty memory, not them.”

The studio has already dismissed Carpenter from the company with immediate effect, writing in its statement that “the moment this situation came to our attention, we placed the employee on immediate leave while we conducted a full investigation.”

“We determined the best course of action was that Harebrained Schemes would part ways with the employee, and that action was taken immediately,” the statement continues. 

Starting at 6:00 p.m. PDT today, members of the Xbox One Preview Beta Ring will begin receiving the latest Xbox One system update (1806.180524-1920). Read on for more about the features, fixes and known issues in the latest 1806 system update.

New Features:

Group Your Games and Apps

In this build we are enabling the Groups feature for all of the Preview BETA ring.  You’ll need to take the new system update once available, and then perform a full power reboot of the console before Groups will be enabled for you.

With so much content available, fans have asked for more options to organize libraries of games and apps.  Today, we’re introducing a powerful new enhancement to Pins, which we call “Groups.” With Groups, you can create multiple collections of content made up of anything from within My Games & Apps. You can also assign custom names to each Group, organize and order them, and add individual Groups to Home. Groups will appear across My Games & Apps, Home and Guide, so you’ll be able to access your Groups at a moment’s notice. Best of all, Groups are tied to your Xbox Live account, so they will automatically sync across multiple Xbox One consoles. We’ve started you off with a Group that should look very familiar — your Pins! To get started, open the Guide and click on the My Games & Apps button to access your Groups or start adding to them!

Improved Search Functionality

Searching for content is now even easier!  Now pressing the Y button anywhere in the dashboard will bring up the search dialog.  This process is found in many apps, but now you can do it anywhere within the dashboard.  Not seeing enough results for your search? Hit enter or click the “more results” button to view a full page for your search results.

Additional Accessibility Options

The Narrator feature on Xbox One now supports five additional languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, and Dutch. We’re also adding an Australian version of English language for Narrator, so Australian users will no longer have to select US or UK English in order to use Narrator.

Mixer Broadcasting

• Users can now enable their camera to display full screen while broadcasting.

Experiments

A subset of Xbox Insiders may see some experimental features in addition to what’s listed above.  These are designed to gauge interest and solicit feedback from a more focused group.  For example, some users will be able to share game-specific stats amongst your friends right on your home page.  While others may find greater functionality within Clubs.

As always, thanks to all the Xbox Insiders for your feedback.  Your insight and input is both critical and crucial to making a better Xbox experience for gamers around the world.

Fixes:

GameDVR

• Fixed the issue in which some users did not receive pop up notifications for Game DVR captures and the guide did not update the number of new captures.

Microsoft Edge

• Fixed an issue in which switching Microsoft Edge tabs will cause PDF files to disappear from the screen.
• Stability and performance fixes for Microsoft Edge, specifically when multiple tabs are open.

System Performance

• • Misc. performance fixes in the platform.

Known Issues:

Groups

• Enabling Groups after taking the update: Groups may not appear for you on first sign in unless you do a full console reboot after taking the system update. This is being fixed in an upcoming build and should only affect having just taken this system update.
• The Groups tab in My games & apps may not show after sign in even though you can access Groups in Guide, or you may see “This group does not exist” on Home on first sign-in for your existing Groups.  Workaround: Sign in / out to refresh these pages.
• Some changes might not be reflected when editing Groups between multiple consoles after coming out of connected standby. Sign in/out to fix.
• Adding the Rewards app to Groups causes you to be unable to access your Groups. This is fixed for an upcoming build.
• Using special characters in Group names (e.g. &,”) causes issues during Group creation or using the “Add more” flow. Note: emojis are fine. This is being fixed in an upcoming build.
• You may see issues with Groups if you frequently switch between your non-Preview console and your Preview console. Workaround: Reset your Groups locally on the Preview console through “My games & apps” > Groups, then using the “Reset groups” button at the bottom of the page to resync from the service.

Profile Color

• Sometimes users may encounter an incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.

Networking

• Work continues on the stability of the Wi-Fi connectivity.  If you see any issues please report the problems for investigation.

YouTube

• Some users are encountering an issue where their YouTube account is being signed out whenever they launch the app.
• Workaround: Uninstall/re-install the app and sign in with your account again.

Bearded malcontent Dom has been writing about games for so long he’s practically forgotten what reality looks like.  Over his career he’s written for just about every site and mag out there. You’ll almost always find him catching Pokémon or yelling at dragons in Skyrim.

Play Forts Multiplayer for FREE starting now through Sunday at 1PM Pacific Time. You can also pick up the game at 40% off the regular price!*

If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play Forts. If you don’t have Steam, you can download it here.

Forts is a physics-based RTS where foes design and build custom bases, arm them to the teeth and blast their opponent’s creations to rubble.

Build an armoured fort in real-time and arm it to the teeth. Collect resources, develop your tech-tree, unlock advanced weapons to target your opponent’s weak points, and feel the satisfaction as their fort comes crashing down.

*Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time