rainbow ceiling

Etymology
(a reference to the rainbow flag, an international symbol of gay pride) + (suggesting a barrier to upward advancement)

Noun

 * 1) An informal (and often unacknowledged) barrier to promotion or advancement, in employment and elsewhere, for gay and lesbian people.
 * 2) * 2014, Chris, quoted in Conor Friedersdorf, "28 Distinct Takes on Gay Marriage and Stigma," The Atlantic, 15 April 2014:
 * I am an out gay man in my late 20s. I consider myself a successfully "launched" millennial and I've made it my mission to break the rainbow ceiling wherever I work.
 * I am an out gay man in my late 20s. I consider myself a successfully "launched" millennial and I've made it my mission to break the rainbow ceiling wherever I work.