ABSTRACT
Gay and lesbian employees constitute between 4% and 17% of the U.S. workforce (Gonsiorek & Weinrich, 1991), a larger proportion than many other minority groups. However, unlike racism and sexism in organizations, relatively little attention has been paid to heterosexism, or the antigay attitudes, prejudice, and discrimination encountered by gay men and lesbians in the workplace (Sears, 1997). Gay and lesbian employees face unique challenges that have no real parallel in other minority groups (Ragins, 2004; Ragins, Cornwell, & Miller, 2003). Most notably, discrimination against gay and lesbian employees, or even those who appear to be gay or lesbian, is legal in most workplaces in the United States (Herrschaft & Mills, 2002). Between 25% and 66% of gay and lesbian employees experience workplace discrimination, including losing their jobs because of their sexual orientation (see review by Croteau, 1996). This represents a conservative estimate because most gay and lesbian employees do not fully reveal their sexual identity at work (Badgett, 1996; Ragins & Cornwell, 2001a). Moreover, unlike race and gender, sexual orientation is generally invisible. This complicates the study of both heterosexism and the workplace experiences of gay and lesbian employees. Finally, there is an affective component of heterosexism, homophobia, that has no counterpart in racism or sexism.
