Disclosing One’s Non-Heterosexual Sexual Orientation at Work in 2020: A Survey of Quebec LGBQ Workers

Journal of Homosexuality (2023)
Publié le 10 janvier 2023

Authors: Émilie Morand, Martin Blais, Isabel Côté, Line Chamberland, Michele Baiocco, & Mariia Samoilenko

First published: January 2023

Concealing one’s non-heterosexual orientation (NHO) remains a protection strategy against workplace discrimination used by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ+) individuals. This article explores four sets of correlates (identity and individual trajectory, social support, professional position, and structural and cultural work context) relative to three levels of outness (total, partial, and null). Online cross-sectional data of 2,106 LGBQ+ participants from Quebec (Canada) showed that 27% reported total outness, while 64% reported partial outness, and 9%, null outness. Multinomial hierarchical regression analyses revealed that each set of correlates significantly contributed to levels of workplace NHO outness. The two sets of variables making the largest contributions to levels of outness were those pertaining to identity and individual trajectory (14% of the variance) and structural and cultural work context (9%). Compared to partial outness, null outness was associated with an unaccepting work climate, while total outness was more likely in contexts with organizational support (e.g., with the presence of an inclusivity policy). Without trivializing the influence of non-workplace factors on outness levels, the present findings support the need to develop an inclusive and accepting work climate for LGBQ+ individuals.

Comment citer cette publication

Morand, É., Blais, M., Côté, I., Samoilenko, M., & Chamberland L. (2024). Disclosing One’s Non-Heterosexual Sexual Orientation at Work in 2020: A Survey of Quebec LGBQ Workers. Journal of Homosexuality, 71(4), 1030-1056.

  • Isabel Côté

    Professeure titulaire au Département de travail social de l’Université du Québec en Outaouais

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