Logo image
Back
When supervisors and managers tolerate heterosexism: Challenges, opportunities, and implications for workplace advocacy
Book chapter   Peer reviewed

When supervisors and managers tolerate heterosexism: Challenges, opportunities, and implications for workplace advocacy

Trevor G Gates
Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations: Global Perspectives on LGBT Workforce Diversity, pp.481-492
Springer International Publishing
2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29623-4_28
url
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29623-4_28View
Published Version

Abstract

discrimination by supervisors heterosexism within organizations LGB workers workplace heterosexism
Heterosexism is part of the social foundation of many organizations and institutions in the United States and worldwide, yet the extent to which that behavior is tolerated by supervisors and managers is less known. Heterosexism refers to attitudes and beliefs that privilege heterosexual identities and norms while discrediting the identities and norms of sexual minorities. Though not all workplace environments are negative for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) workers, many workers share the knowledge that sexual minorities have been historically considered bad, sick, immoral, or inferior to heterosexuals. This shared cultural knowledge impacts the extent to which heterosexism by managers and supervisors is accepted or tolerated by workers. This chapter reports the results of an empirical study of a convenience sample (n= 247) of upstate New York workers' experiences of organizational tolerance for a supervisor's heterosexist behaviors. In addition, the chapter considers how the results of the present study may offer insight for how human resource professionals, organizational behavior consultants, social workers, and other workplace advocates can advance organizational policies that better protect LGB workers. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016.

Details

Metrics

380 Record Views
Logo image