Coming Out or Not? How Nonheterosexual People Manage Their Sexual Identity at Work

Abstract

The context of workplaces could be defined as heteronormative, from a structural, discursive and practical point of view. Sexual orientation is still an underresearched area of diversity in work organizations (Ward & Winstanley, 2005) because of the difficulties in accessing information around themes connected to sexuality. As a result, the framework provided by the present study produces a significant contribution to our understanding of minority sexual identity at work. Through the conceptual framework of performativity, this article's aim is to give voice to every individual who doesn't recognise her/himself in a heterosexual definition of her/his orientation, desires, behaviours, emotions, and identities. I propose to adopt Greimas's semiotic square (1970) in order to define a heuristic device relating to the "disclosure" and "silence" possibilities in workplaces. The empirical material in this article is based on 34 in-depth interviews conducted with nonheterosexual members of private and public Italian organizations.

Coming out Through an Intersectional Perspective: Narratives of Bisexuality and Polyamory in Italy

“…For the purpose of this article, I read 'coming out' through an intersectional perspective (Crenshaw, 1989(Crenshaw, , 1993, a framework that offers a deeper understanding on how multiple social identities interact with one another. To escape the dichotomy trap, I employ the semiotic square (Greimas, 1970) as a device to interpret how people attribute meaning to coming out (Gusmano, 2008). The semiotic square articulates the semantic structure of signification in terms of binary oppositions as shown in Figure 1.…”

“…(p. 144) In the following sections, I describe the Italian context in respect to issues of intimate citizenship (Plummer, 2003), neoliberalism, 3 and austerity. Afterwards, I frame the analysis within the existing literature concerning coming out, bisexuality and polyamory, here also relying on my interpretation of the Greimas semiotic square (Gusmano, 2008). After presenting the fieldwork, I explore coming out as experienced by interviewees, arguing that intersections between polyamory and bisexuality are fundamental to shaping their identities and intimacies.…”

Sexual orientation discrimination in the United Kingdom’s labour market: A field experiment

“…Through the othering process, organisations apportion higher status to heterosexuality, which reinforces power hierarchies and ostracises constituents who belong to other sexual categories (Foucault, 1990;2001;Gusmano, 2008).…”

A Critical Examination of the Experience of being a Gay Officer in the Masculinized Industry of Law Enforcement

“…This is perhaps due in part to the unrelenting stereotype of the feminine gay man (Manguno-Mire & Geer, 1998) and his perceived divergence from the macho culture of masculinized industries. However, while concealing gay identity from others (remaining "in the closet") can be an effective strategy for avoiding stigma and discrimination, it may also have adverse effects on both the careers and personal lives of the individuals (Gusmano, 2008;. Being "in the closet" at work may even be detrimental to gay employees, as it can heighten others' sense that he is dishonest or that he is hiding something.…”

“…The closet is commonly recognized as a metaphorical space developed and prolonged by heteronormative, heterosexist, or homophobic societal norms and occupied by sexual minorities who choose to or are encouraged to conceal their sexual orientations . It is possible to be in the closet, to conceal sexual orientation, in some situations, while simultaneously being out Concealing sexual orientation from others can be an effective strategy for avoiding stigma, but it may also have adverse effects on both the careers and personal lives of sexual minorities (Gusmano, 2008;.…”