“I try not to hide, never”: strategies used by gay and lesbian professionals to minimize sexual stigma in the workplace

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the strategies used by gays and lesbians
to avoid or reduce stigma in the workplace. To this end, it is based on the concept of stigma proposed by Goffman (1988). The method adopted was the single case study. Interviews were conducted at 12 companies located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. In all, 15 professionals were interviewed. The data collection technique used was the individual semi-structured interview. The results show that gays and lesbians mainly use strategies to cover sexual stigma. They prefer to disclose their homosexuality and deal with the tensions generated in social interactions rather than allowing such information to be concealed. The strategies found were: signaling (intentional slips); normalization (they deny the existence of sexual stigma); and differentiation (they embrace the difference and fight against sexual stigma).