Gay male identity disclosure and its impact on workplace negotiations

Gay men have historically experienced discrimination based on their gay identity. Research has further shown that disclosure of gay identity can have an impact on interpersonal relationships. The research aimed to identify whether the disclosure of gay identity had an impact on the outcome of a negotiated agreement in the workplace. This mixed-methods research project consisted of four studies. The first study, a short answer survey, explored whether disclosure of gay identity had an impact on interpersonal relationships in the workplace, and 30 gay men participated in this study. The second study was a series of semi-structured interviews of 30 gay and 12 straight male participants. This study explored the disclosure of sexual orientation and the impact of disclosure on workplace negotiated outcomes. The third study was an experiment in which 25 male participants negotiated with a confederate and tested whether disclosure of a gay or straight identity would impact on who will achieve a better result in negotiation. In the final study124 male participants participated in a survey experiment and was designed to test whether the method of disclosure of gay identity would influence the results of a negotiation. The combined results of the four studies suggest that gay male identity does influence interpersonal relationships, and this influence will have an impact on the outcome of a workplace negotiation.