anyone like that at this company, they’re quite good, but yeah. Gay, male, 30s. Some participants described feeling that they were being scrutinised more closely due to their sexual or gender identity, but were unable to make a direct link. Even though there may be different explanations for some interactions, it also speaks to the subtle and sometimes uneasy environment that LGBTQ+ employees experience when they are uncertain about the support they have at work.
7. IMPLICATIONS OF A CHANGING SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY AT WORK For some participants, a change in gender identity meant they experienced, or anticipated experiencing different issues than previously. As an example, in what may have been an offthe-cuff remark, a participant’s colleague speculated about how transitioning to a man may be an advantage due to the possibility of being taken more seriously at work: I think as time goes on, with my facial hair, I think I'll start to get different reactions with people. I dress very masculine anyway and that's never been a problem. But I feel like, if I start to get facial hair, people will start to notice and it will be different. I'm not sure how that might change but I did actually have someone say, when I said, "Yeah, my voice will go low", and she's like, "Oh, maybe you'll start getting treated or taken seriously, you know, by the guys that I'm working with". And I'm, like, "Yeah, that would be nice". So, it will be very interesting how they attribute someone that knows what they're talking about with masculinity and being a man. Non-binary, 20s Nonetheless, another transgender man in the study described how norms and expectations for cis-gendered heterosexual men can be disadvantageous. He said that when he asked to reduce his hours to work part-time to care for his new baby, his boss refused and said the expectation was that they work full-time or not at all. So, he quit and found a job that accommodated his preferred level of engagement in equally-shared parenting with the baby’s mother.
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