Gay men at work: (Re)constructing the self as professional

Abstract

This article is a study of professional identity work, using in-depth interview material from research conducted into the work lives of 10 gay men employed in a UK National Health Service Trust. Using the men's portraits of professional life, we examine the different ways they understand what it means to be a `professional'. The article suggests that while gay men appear to be empowered by forms of agency to self-identify as professionals in `gay-friendly' work contexts, they are by no means unaffected by dominant professional norms and discourses of heteronormativity that treat sexuality and professionalism as polar opposites. Thus how straightforward it might be for the interviewees to self-identify as `professional' and openly gay within an organization that is perceived to be `gay-friendly' is scrutinized in terms of the professional identity dilemmas experienced by the study participants. We conclude that, even within `gayfriendly' organizational settings, fashioning a professional identity is a process marked by negotiation and struggle.

Gender in the UK architectural profession: (re)producing and challenging hegemonic masculinity

“…Further work is also needed to understand the heteronormative nature of the assumptions implicit in the organisation of working life, for example, with gay men and lesbian women. This area is under-explored within organisational literature in general (Pringle, 2008) although there is evidence that being openly gay is seen as incompatible with a professional identity (Rumens and Kerfoot, 2009) This article has shed light on some of the gendered norms which are prevalent within the profession largely responsible for shaping the built environment. While women and other marginalised members of the profession continue to experience limitations on their ability to flourish fewer will reach positions that enable them to exert creative power and architectural discourse will continue to be dominated by particular masculine ideals.…”

Sexual orientation discrimination in the United Kingdom’s labour market: A field experiment

“…In addition, firms [16] should understand the strategic benefit of fully realising the talents of all employees and the ethical mandate of promoting equal opportunity and fairness for all (Day and Schoenrade, 2000). Recognition from both management and co-workers provides external reinforcement of an employee's developing competence and self-esteem (Rumens and Kerfoot, 2009). …”

“…Gay-friendly work environments can facilitate the growth of opportunities for sexual orientation minorities to construct themselves as valued organisational members (Rumens and Kerfoot, 2009). Discourse regarding sexual orientation is perceived as an organisation's policy for engendering a more productive and efficient workforce (Fleming, 2007).…”

Sexualities and accounting: A queer theory perspective

“…This has practical implications for those accountants who seek to claim 'professional' identities because they must 'suppress and regress any interest in sexuality in their working lives' to demonstrate competence and professionalism (Burrell, 1987: 99). For those accountants who identify or are presumed to be LGBT, claiming professionalism may become more difficult given that homosexuality has long been associated with 'waste', 'sin', 'perversion' and 'deviancy' (Rumens & Kerfoot, 2009). While Burrell (1987) appears to sidestep LGBT sexualities in his examination of sexuality and accounting, he usefully exposes how the desexualisation of organisational life (e.g.…”