Opening the organization’s closet: gay & lesbian employees’ sexual identity work in the workplace

Abstract

Drawing on the ‘newer approaches’ to identity, this article explores the sexual identity work of lesbian and gay employees in the workplace. Based on narratives of lesbian and gay employees, I show that the sexual identity position individuals occupy in the workplace is the result of a negotiation between the active positioning of the individual, the way they are forced to position and the way they are positioned by others. First, this article shows how individual decisions on disclosure are mainly informed by ideas on honesty and on inclusion and exclusion. Second, it show how a sexuality is often forced upon individuals, either though heteronormative classification or through gossip and questions. Finally, I discuss the fact that through informal processes, sexuality always permeates the workplace, making it hard for individuals to remain asexual in the workplace.