Passing as resistance through a Goffmanian approach: Normalized, defensive, strategic, and instrumental passing when LGBTQ+ individuals encounter institutions

Ozbilgin M. F., Erbil C., Baykut S., Kamasak R.

Gender, Work and Organization, cilt.30, sa.3, ss.862-880, 2023 (SSCI) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 30 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1111/gwao.12928
  • Dergi Adı: Gender, Work and Organization
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, EBSCO Legal Collection, EBSCO Legal Source, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, Geobase, Index Islamicus, Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, DIALNET
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.862-880
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Goffman, LGBTQ+ individuals, passing, qualitative study, Turkey
  • Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Passing and coming out are two divergent individual strategies historically associated with the LGBTQ+ community as they struggle to fit in with normative expectations at work and in life. While coming out has gradually become more common in organizations and national contexts that offer safeguards for LGBTQ+ individuals, passing remains an option where no such measures are available. Drawing on interviews with working-class LGBTQ+ individuals in a country with an adversarial context, that is, Turkey, we identify how varieties of passing, defined as acting and appearing to fit with the dominant sexual orientation and gender identity norms, are used as strategies of coping with institutional norms. Working-class LGBTQ+ individuals are an important group to study as many draw their pride, power, and identity from their engagement with work and the labor market. Transcending the monolithic accounts of passing, we illustrate four variants of passing (i.e., normalized, defensive, strategic, and instrumental passing) that LGBTQ+ individuals deploy at work. Reflecting on the field study findings, we explicate how and why LGBTQ+ individuals choose to pass at work in each case.