Between the corporation and the closet. Ethically researching LGBTQ+ identities in the workplace

• Pages: 283-297
• Date: 16 April 2018
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-04-2017-0093
• Published date: 16 April 2018
• Author: Jaigris Hodson,Samantha Jackson,Wendy Cukier,Mark Holmes
• Subject Matter: HR & organizational behaviour,Employment law,Diversity, equality, inclusion

Between the corporation

and the closet

Ethically researching LGBTQ+identities

in the workplace

Jaigris Hodson

Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada

Samantha Jackson

Department of Political Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

Wendy Cukier

Diversity Institute, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, and

Mark Holmes

School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management,

University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to engage the ecological model as a conceptual tool to examine the

ethics of conducting research on LGBTQ+individuals in the workplace. In particular, it focuses on outness

and the act of outing in research.

Design/methodology/approach –Established methodologies for studying LGBTQ+persons in the

workplace are examined using a critical outness lens. The ecological model is used to identify a critical path

forward for researchers working with LGBTQ+participants and to improve LGBTQ+workplace

experiences more broadly.

Findings –The tension between the ethics of coming out of the closet and the ethics of outing someone for

the greater good is problematized. It suggests that organizational and diversity scholars approach research

methods with an understanding of the role played by the body and sexuality in LGBTQ+workplace research.

Practical implications –Researchers should recognize that workers may have varying degrees of outness

within their organization and/or across their private and public lives.

Originality/value –Research on LGBTQ+persons in the workplace is limited, and research examining the

ethics of relevant methods is scarcer still. This paper begins a discussion on how researchers can trouble

current hegemonic approaches to LGBTQ+-centered research in organizations.

Keywords Ethics, LGBTQ, Ecological model, Outness

Paper type Conceptual paper

Introduction: sex at work

Life for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and/or two-spirited (LGBTQ+[1])

people is often uniquely defined by the conflicting pressures to be open and “out”yet also

discrete about one’s romantic and sexual life, leading many individuals to remain behind

closet doors. Frequently, the “closet”is used as a metaphor for a person’s ability to hide their

non-normative sexuality from others, and as such, often serves to empower sexual and

gendered minority groups by providing a psychologically and emotionally safe space

(Sedgwick, 1990). Nowhere is this tension between being “out”about one’s personal life yet

discrete about one’s sexuality more keenly felt than in the workplace. LGBTQ+individuals

often experience a conflicting desire to be open about their personal lives in order to, for

example, feel able to speak authentically about their lives, or to feel comfortable bringing

their partner to work functions (Eliason et al., 2011; King and Biro, 2006). Yet, individuals

also understand that being out may expose them to a range of dangerous consequences,

including the risk of being fired from their jobs, bullying, lack of ability to travel, even, in

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 37 No. 3, 2018

pp. 283-297

© Emerald PublishingLimited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-04-2017-0093

Received 27 April 2017

Revised 10 October 2017

20 January 2018

Accepted 8 February 2018

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/2040-7149.htm

283

Researching

LGBTQ+

identities in the

workplace