Pride month: a selection of research and analysis highlighting challenges and issues facing the LGBTQIA+ communities
06/17/2024
5 min
Share
June is Pride month – a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQIA+ communities and also raising awareness of the challenges or issues they face. IÉSEG has a number of researchers working on research to highlight issues and challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ communities.
To highlight some of these, here is a selection of articles (and video) by some of our experts together with links to research they have conducted:
Social media still a closet for too many LGBTQIA+ employees
Social media has revolutionized how we relate to our colleagues and higher-ups, offering us opportunities to showcase different aspects of our lives. Currently, three out of four employees are connected with their coworkers via social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Be it in person or online, we all strive to present the best versions of ourselves, and social media allows us to filter these representations in ways that are specific to each platform.
But what happens when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, or asexual (LGBTQIA+) employees, often marginalized in their workplaces, also need to decide whether or not to show their true selves online? As a management researcher interested in social issues, Professor Lucas AMARAL LAURIANO from IÉSEG delved into the experiences of gay male employees at the Brazilian subsidiary of a multinational.
Read his article published on the Conversation France.
You can also see a video on the research he carried out:
RuPaul’s Drag Race: research shows how it helps destigmatise the LGBTQIA+community
Pressures on gender recognition laws, the strong opposition to drag shows and increasing incidents of violence show that the LGBTQIA+ community is still stigmatized, as the members of this community might not conform to societal expectations around gender and sexuality. A 2021 report by Stonewall highlighted how people in the UK still experience feelings of “fear, resentment, pity and disgust” towards those who identify as LGBTQIA+, especially transgender men and women.
Amid such social turmoil, drag culture has become even more important for representation. The most visible elements of drag are the fabulous outfits, the drama of lip-synchs and iconic catchphrases. However, the rich cultural history of drag for breaking social conventions and challenging gender stereotypes must not be forgotten.
The article is based on a paper published in Journal of Management Studies.
From Crisis to Advocacy: Tracing the Emergence and Evolution of the LGBTQIA+ Consumer Market
Professor MICHELI has also recently co-authored a study that is published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing with her colleagues from King’s College London, UK, University of Bath, and the University of California, Irvine, USA
Although governments and organizations are increasingly addressing the importance of diversity and inclusion policies, LGBTQIA+ consumers still experience instances of discrimination and stigmatization. Research identifying the barriers and struggles that these consumers face is therefore imperative in order to inspire more inclusive marketplace practices. Professor MICHELI and co-authors have developed a conceptual framework that can be used to understand and strategically strengthen research that leads to more inclusive marketing and public policy efforts.
You can read a blog article the authors have contributed to on the Sage Perspectives blog.
You can read the full study here.
Adoption of LGBT-Inclusive Policies: Social Construction, Coercion, or Competition?
Professor Bryant HUDSON was one of the coauthors of this study published in the journal Social Forces in 2022. The researchers looked at data from over 280 companies to analyze the forces impacting the adoption of LGBT-inclusive policies in the workplace – including those originating from shareholder resolutions (company level), industry-level and public policy initiatives (for example local or national government).
More information is available here.
