Gay Leaders Research Articles

Building the Rainbow Bridge: Diverse Methodologies to Address LGBTQ+ Inequalities in Organizations

This symposium draws on the all academy theme of creating a better world by bringing together a diverse set of methodologies, topics, and scholars on the issues of LGBTQIA+ inclusion and beyond. In this symposium, we gathered a set of papers that helps us to address each of these issues using diverse methodological approaches that can help us to triangulate findings and develop a clearer picture as to how managers and organizations can help to create a better world by improving diversity, equity and inclusion for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and other invisible identities. The Diversity of Gay Leaders: Superpower or Curse? Presenter: Vanessa Bernauer; Helmut Schmidt U. Presenter: Georg Frederic Bernhard Tamm; U. of Melbourne Presenter: Jasmin Joecks; Eberhard Karls U. Tübingen Presenter: Tanja Reimer; Europa-U. Flensburg Examining the Lived Experience of Authentic Leadership and Its Psychological Impacts for LGBT Managers Presenter: Luke Fletcher; School of Management, U. of Bath Presenter: Shaun Michael Pichler; California State U., Fullerton Presenter: Lakshmi Chandrasekar; Aston Business School Exploring the Job Search Experience of Transgender People: A Phenomenological Study Presenter: Ignacio J. Duran; U. Ramon Llull, ESADE Business School Presenter: Ignasi Lanuza Martí; ESADE Business School-Ramon Llull U. Name Incongruence: A Lab Study on Transgender Bias Presenter: Hyacinthe Michael Schwartz; Organizational Behavior Case Western Reserve U. Presenter: Diana Bilimoria; Case Western Reserve U. Taking LBTQIA+ Research beyond the Rainbow: How LGBT Disclosure Informs Religious Accommodation Presenter: David Kaplan; Saint Louis U.

The Role of Non-Traditional Social Supports in Developing Lesbian and Gay Leaders’ Authenticity

This paper extends the social support, leadership, and diversity literatures by proposing a model incorporating minority stress, non- traditional social supports, and psychological capital. It is suggested that lesbian and gay (LG) leaders have typically accumulated high levels of psychological capital (resilience, optimism, hope, and efficacy) due to the stigma-based stress they endure in their work and nonwork lives. The presence of non-traditional social supports in the form of same-sex spouses and the LGBT community further develop the leaders’ psychological capital through the process of enrichment. The presence of high psychological capital is what allows for LG leaders to engage in authentic leadership.

Why are gay leaders perceived as ineffective? The role of the type of organization, sexual prejudice and gender stereotypes

Previous research has shown that the stereotypical characteristics of successful leaders are perceived to be congruent with the stereotypical masculine characteristics and incongruent with the characteristics stereotypically associated with women. The lack of congruency between stereotypical feminine characteristics and the stereotypical characteristics of a successful leader is considered to be one of the main causes of prejudice against women, who often face obstacles in achieving leadership positions. Drawing on the theoretical and empirical evidence, we conducted two online experimental studies to investigate the perceived effectiveness of gay leaders; these studies involved, respectively, 192 and 202 heterosexual US men. Specifically, in the first study, we hypothesized that participants with high levels of sexual prejudice would perceive leadership as less effective when the leader was gay rather than heterosexual, regardless of the gendered nature of the organization (masculine vs. feminine). In the second study, we tested the hypothesis that participants with high (vs. low) levels of sexual prejudice would perceive a gay leader who showed more stereotypical feminine characteristics to be less effective than a gay leader who showed more stereotypical masculine characteristics. Moderated regression analyses confirmed our expectations. Limitations, applied implications, and future directions are discussed.

The AIDS pandemic in Latin America

Of the more than 40 million people around the world currently living with HIV/AIDS, two million live in Latin America and the Caribbean. In an engaging chronicle illuminated by his travels in the region, Shawn Smallman shows how the varying histories and cultures of the nations of Latin America have influenced the course of the pandemic. He demonstrates that a disease spread in an intimate manner is profoundly shaped by impersonal forces. In Latin America, Smallman explains, the AIDS pandemic has fractured into a series of subepidemics, driven by different factors in each country. Examining cultural issues and public policies at the country, regional, and global levels, he discusses why HIV has had such a heavy impact on Honduras, for instance, while leaving the neighboring state of Nicaragua relatively untouched, and why Latin America as a whole has kept infection rates lower than other global regions, such as Africa and Asia. Smallman draws on the most recent scientific research as well as his own interviews with AIDS educators, gay leaders, drug traffickers, crack addicts, transvestites, and doctors in Cuba, Brazil, and Mexico. Highlighting the realities of gender, race, sexuality, poverty, politics, and international relations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, Smallman brings a fresh perspective to understanding the cultures of the region as well as the global AIDS crisis.

A Hope for Foster Care

SUMMARY Two foster care executives encourage agency and parent leaders to rethink their relationships to improve the lives of children in their shared custody. When mothers-of-color charged that white privilege harmed rather than helped children, the white executives connected the accusation to their experience as closeted gay leaders in a religiously-run organization. That unexpected insight became the sharper lens through which they saw some emotional damage caused by their decisions. The executives examined their behavior and transformed their adversarial relationship with parents into a partnership. Their suggestions are based on efforts with parents, mistakes with trustees, and hard lessons learned.