Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Employees Workplace Disclosure: An Investigation on How the Fear of Stigmatization, Organizational Contexts, and State Legal Protections Influence the Disclosure Decision

• Main Author: Kast, Erik T
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2019
• Subjects: LGBTQ studies; Occupational psychology; Organizational behavior
• ISBN: 108561056X; 9781085610568

This quantitative research examined how the supportiveness or unsupportiveness organizational contexts, the presence or absence of state employment legal protections, and the fear of having a stigmatized identity can influence the decision of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) employees to disclose or not disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity at work. This study examined data collected from 272 individuals who were over the age of 18, worked in the United States, and identified as LGBT. The findings suggest that the more favorable an organizations climate and culture are may reduce the level of fear that LGBT individuals associate with their LGBT identity. Additionally, supportive organizational contexts may have stronger influence on the decision to disclose than the presence or absence of state level employment protection laws. These findings are significant as they indicate that the supportiveness or unsupportiveness of the workplace may be more important to LGBT employees when deciding to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity than having legal protections.