LGB Career Counseling

“Coming out” from invisibilityHelping Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual

Clients Address Challenges in the Job Search and Workplace

Neepa Parikh

San Francisco State University

Graduate Student

Rationale

• Passing of Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) H.R. 3685

– Same-sex attractions continue to be stigmatized despite some advancements in the workplace– Heterosexism is commonplace at many work sites regardless of location

• What can Career Counselors do? Is counseling this population different?

– Gain awareness of challenges lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients may face

Cass’ Model of Sexual Identity Formation

• Age of identity formation varies, depending on several factors (i.e. ethnicity)• No clear boundaries between stages

Stage 1: Identity Confusion

Initial awareness of feeling different. May seek information or reject feelings

• Individuals at this stage typically will not reveal these feelings to a career counselor or anyone else

Stage 2: Identity Comparison

Beginning acceptance of LGB identity. Maintenance of heterosexual public

identity. May reach out to others in the community

• Due to “invisibility”, visible presence of role models may be lacking


Stage 3: Identity Tolerance

Increased interactions with LGB community. Negative experiences may

cause individual to reject identity.


Stage 4: Identity AcceptanceFriendships develop within LGB

community, but the individual may choose to “pass” as heterosexual in many areas

of life.

• Sense of safety may determine whether the individual discloses sexual orientation to career counselor• Individuals at this stage are likely to prefer keep their identity “hidden” at the workplace



Stage 5: Identity Pride

Individuals have pride in their identity and feel anger towards the heterosexist society.

May be publicly out.

• Client may seek employment in gay-affirmative companies or organizations• May be actively involved in the LGB community

• Outreach to the LGB community

Stage 6: Identity Synthesis

Greater congruence between public and private identities

• The client will most likely be explicit about his or her sexual orientation


“Coming Out”

• Coming out to self – self-acceptance of the individual’s own sexual orientation (Pope et al. 2004)

• Coming out to others – Disclosing of one’s own sexual orientation to others; may be a written/verbal, public/private statement to others (Pope et al., 2004).– Coming out to others is a continual process

– When, if, and where an individual comes out may depend on their level of Sexual Identity Formation

What does this mean for Career Counselors?

Case Example #1

• Daniel is a Mexican-American male who identifies as gay. He is obtaining his multiple-subject teaching credential this Spring and would like help with his job search. He is planning to move in with his parents in a suburb of Los Angeles. Daniel does not seem happy about this move and soon discloses to you that he is attracted to men. He states that although he tries to “hide” his identity and “pass” as heterosexual, this will be most difficult under his parents roof and at an elementary school. He is not “out” in college either. Daniel states that his main goal is to get a job and help out his parents.

Some thoughts…

• Some LGB individuals may fear negative consequences of revealing their sexual orientation (i.e. family/friend rejection, harassment, job loss) regardless of the how gay-friendly the setting may be.

• There may be some other cultural reasons for remaining to stay “closeted” and “pass” as heterosexual

• Stereotypes of pedophilia may cause gay men to stay closeted in career fields working with children

How to proceed…

• Use gender-neutral language and keep relevant literature to create a gay-affirmative environment– How is gender brought up in Interviewing

Techniques workshops?– Has there been any outreach to or

collaboration with the LGB community?• Disclosure in not the goal; inclusiveness is!• Respect the client’s decision to remain closeted

– Recognize that assimilation is a coping mechanism

How to proceed… (cont.)• Counselor and client should discuss the pros and cons of

staying closeted or coming out in a nonjudgmental way:– How will the client manage his public life versus

private life?– How will the client manage questions about his

personal life?– How will the client manage company/organization

social events?– What would it be like to conceal his orientation?– How will the client handle/respond to homophobic

jokes in the workplace?• It is not up to the counselor to decide whether an

environment is safe enough for disclosure

Other things to consider

• If the client eventually moves from one stage to the next….– What is the size of the LGB community in the work

location’s city?– Does the company offer domestic partnership

benefits?– Is there required sensitivity training for staff?– Are there any LGB associations at the job site?– Are there any current employees who are openly LGB

at the workplace?– Are invitations to social events inclusive of all sexual

orientations?

Trade-offs

• Some clients may feel that remaining “closeted” is necessary for career advancement in certain industries

• Some clients at Stage 3 and Stage 4 of Sexual Identify Formation simply may not be ready to publicly disclose their sexual orientation

• Again, a discussion of the pros and cons may be necessary

Case Example #2

• Sarah is a Iranian-American women who identifies as bisexual. She is open to friends and family and has a lot of pride in her identity. She feels comfortable with a more stereotypical masculine appearance and feels that she is unemployable because of this. She has done a lot of volunteer work on campus, but has never had a paid position.

Some thoughts…

• Discrimination based on one’s appearance (or assumptions about one’s sexual orientation) may be a reality

• Chances are that Sarah has faced negative/surprised/perplexed reactions from people in the past.

Note: Individuals who identify as bisexual are not simply confused about their sexual orientation. Bisexual individuals typically do not feel limited in their attractions.

How to proceed…• Explore with the client how she has dealt

with these reactions in the past• There is a possibility that Sarah may not

feel confident about what she has to offer in her employment

• Skills identification exercises may help Sarah gain confidence in her skills and increase her marketability

• Interview role-plays can be helpful • Help client to recognize illegal interview

questions

Some best practices

• Due the fact that there may be limited role models in the LGB community….– Establish and maintain relationships with LGB

professions• Clients may conduct info. interviews with these

professionals not only to learn more about the specific job, but to get an insider’s view on company culture

– Collaborate with local or campus LGB centers

Final Thoughts• It can not be assumed that a client’s presenting

problems has to do with sexual orientation• Counselors need to recognize other aspects of

the client’s identity (i.e. ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status)

• Career counselors need to make an effort to create LGB-affirmative environments if clients do need to bring up coming out issues

• Representatives from the Queer Alliance at SFSU feel that it is important for service providers to know appropriate terminology

Documents

LGB Career Counseling