| This dissertation examines participation in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) employee resource groups inside three corporations. In an era when the prevailing national political climate has been less than welcoming to the country's LGBT population, much of corporate America has welcomed the formation of employee groups by their LGBT members. This investigation explored participation in such groups with 18 subjects who worked for companies that sponsored an LGBT group. Twelve of the subjects were members of their company's LGBT employee group and six subjects were non-members. Data were collected from an individual 1.5 hour interview with each subject, and were then analyzed to identify common thematic information. Results from this study revealed that participation in an employee resource group is one of many strategies that LGBT employees use to manage their sexual identity in the workplace. Their strategies ranged from projecting a false heterosexual identity to being an open advocate for LGBT issues. Decisions about how to manage sexual identity in the workplace reflect the interaction of many factors, including individual personality, stage of identity development, company policies, and inter-group relations among co-workers at all levels. |
