ABSTRACT
This chapter synthesises Daisy's personal experience as a lesbian with leadership experience in addition to the literature and research that has explored the issues of lesbians as leaders. Daisy explores the conscious choices that lesbians make about how much they hide or share their sexual orientation within the workplace and beyond, and the implications for those who are in a leadership position, in whatever capacity this leadership role may exist. This is framed within the context of living in a heteronormative world where prejudice is both implicit and explicit. The influences of personal support on career success, the impact of discrimination and prejudice and the transformation approach to leadership are discussed. Gaps in the evidence base for lesbians in leadership are highlighted and suggestions for how lesbians can support themselves and be supported by others to develop as leaders are explored. This chapter promotes the impact of discrimination towards lesbians within the workplace and highlights the uniqueness of lesbians as leaders in the hope that more lesbians will feel empowered to work towards leadership. It also highlights the paucity of research that exists within this area, with the intention of encouraging further discussions and positive action.
