A Historical Review of the Study of U.S. LGBTQ Employees’ Workplace Experiences

2020 
In the 50 years since the Stonewall Riots, psychological science has played a key role in our understanding and treatment of issues directly affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals within the United States. Of these, pertinent topics include workplace experiences of sexual minorities and gender non-conforming individuals (e.g., workplace discrimination of LGBTQ targets; Ruggs et al., 2015). In this chapter, we outline the history of industrial and organizational (I-O) psychologists’ interface with the LGBTQ movement through review of major research trends during four distinct eras: The Silent Era (Pre-1969); The Post-Gay Liberation Era (1970-1989); The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Era (1990-2009); and The Present Era (2010-present). We turn to major outside influences—historical social movements (i.e., the Gay Liberation Movement) and legal changes (e.g., recent change in legal interpretation of Title VII)— and ways in which these changes have informed treatment of LGBTQ workplace issues. Although this review suggests great strides in LGBTQ workplace research, we conclude by discussing implications for future research given ever-changing legal and societal treatment of LGBTQ workplace rights.
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