Workplace Experiences of Gender-Nonconforming LGBTQ Employees

Executive Summary

This report examines experiences of employment discrimination and harassment against gender- nonconforming (GNC) cisgender LGBQ adults using a survey of 1,902 LGBTQ adults in the workforce, including 239 GNC cisgender LGBQ adults, conducted in the summer of 2023. We compare the experiences of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees with those of gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees, cisgender LGBQ employees who were equally conforming and nonconforming, and employees who identified as transgender or nonbinary (TNB).

This study defines gender nonconformity based on respondents’ reports of how others perceived their gender expression. Respondents who were cisgender and felt that others viewed their gender expression as not mainly consistent with their sex assigned at birth were classified as GNC, while those who felt that others viewed their gender expression as mainly consistent with their sex assigned at birth were classified as gender conforming. Those respondents who felt that others viewed them as equally feminine or masculine were classified as equally conforming and nonconforming.

According to our findings, GNC cisgender LGBQ adults comprised 13% of the LGBTQ adult workforce. More than half (56%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ adults in the workforce were under age 35, 61% identified as lesbian (36%) or gay (24%), and 48% were people of color. Nearly half (47%) were making less than $50,000.

Our analysis indicates that employment discrimination against GNC cisgender LGBQ employees is persistent and widespread. Along most measures, GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported higher percentages of adverse workplace experiences compared to gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees. Along many measures, they were more likely to report such experiences than employees who were equally gender conforming and nonconforming.

For example, more than six in 10 (62%) GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing discrimination or harassment at work (including being fired, not hired, not promoted, or verbally, physically, or sexually harassed) because of their sexual orientation at some point during their lifetime, compared with 41% of gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees.

GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were twice as likely as gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees to report experiencing employment discrimination (fired, not hired, not promoted, and other forms of discrimination) in the past year (14% vs. 7%) and more than twice as likely as gender-conforming employees to report experiencing harassment (verbal, sexual, and physical) in the past year (18% vs. 8%).

GNC cisgender LGBQ employees may be more likely to experience discrimination and harassment because they are more likely to be out in the workplace, or less likely to be closeted. Prior Williams Institute research has shown that LGBTQ employees who were out to at least a few coworkers and/or their supervisor were three times as likely to report experiencing discrimination because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity compared to LGBTQ employees who were not out to anyone at work.1 Two-thirds (68%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported being out as LGBQ to their supervisor, compared with only half (50%) of those who were gender conforming. Almost half (47%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported that they were out to all their coworkers, compared with 28% of those who were gender conforming.

While GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were more likely to be out in the workplace, they were also more likely than gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees (66% vs. 55%) to engage in “covering” behaviors, such as changing their dress, voice, mannerisms, and behaviors, to avoid sexual orientation discrimination.

Another primary theme that emerges from the findings of this report is the significant role that gender nonconformity plays in shaping the workplace experiences of GNC gay and bisexual (GB) men. For example, when considering employment discrimination in the past year based on sexual orientation, GNC GB men (23%) were more likely to report such discrimination than GNC lesbian and bisexual (LB) women (9%), gender-conforming LB women (8%), and gender-conforming GB men (6%). Reports of harassment in the past year follow the same pattern, with 25% of GNC GB men reporting harassment compared with 13% of GNC LB women, 10% of gender-conforming LB women, and 6% of gender-conforming GB men.

GNC GB men were also the most likely group to report engaging in covering behaviors. Among cisgender LGBQ employees, GNC GB men (78%) were more likely than gender-conforming LB women (59%), GNC LB women (58%), and gender-conforming GB men (51%) to engage in such behaviors to avoid discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation. Not surprisingly, these differences also impact employee retention. Among cisgender LGBQ employees, GNC GB men (60%) were much more likely to report that they had left a job due to how they were treated based on their sexual orientation than GNC LB women (41%), gender-conforming LB women (27%), and gender-conforming GB men (24%).

In short, while LGBQ employees who are gender nonconforming are more likely to experience discrimination and harassment, and do more work to suppress their identities, in the workplace than gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees, this is particularly true for GNC GB men.

While the key findings of the report are summarized below, the full report includes quotes from GNC cisgender LGBQ respondents, and those who identify as equally conforming and nonconforming, to provide more detail about their experiences of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Key Findings

Demographics

• GNC cisgender LGBQ adults comprised 13% of LGBTQ adults in the workforce and 14% of cisgender LGBQ adults in the workforce.
• Approximately 56% of GNC cisgender LGBQ adults in the workforce were under the age of 35, and 76% were under the age of 45.
• Six in 10 (61%) GNC cisgender LGBQ adults were assigned female at birth, and 39% were assigned male at birth.
• Sixty-one percent of GNC cisgender LGBQ adults identified as lesbian (36%) or gay (24%), and 40% identified as bisexual. GNC cisgender LGBQ adults were three or more times as likely to identify as lesbian compared to cisgender LGBQ adults who were gender conforming or equally conforming and nonconforming.
• Forty-eight percent of GNC cisgender LGBQ adults identified as people of color, including 30% as Latinx, 11% as Black, and 5% as Asian.
• Almost six in 10 GNC cisgender LGBQ adults in the workforce had less than a Bachelor’s degree (59%), and 47% were making less than $50,000 a year, with 15% making less than $25,000 a year.

Lifetime Experiences of Discrimination and Harassment

• Over six in 10 (62%) GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing some form of discrimination or harassment, including being fired, not hired, not promoted, or verbally, physically, or sexually harassed because of their sexual orientation. When comparing cisgender men and women, GNC GB men were more likely than GNC LB women to report experiencing discrimination or harassment (72% vs. 55%) at some point in their lives.
• Discrimination: Nearly half (47%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing at least some form of employment discrimination (including being fired, not hired, not promoted, or being denied other workplace opportunities) because of their sexual orientation at some point in their lives.
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees (47%) were more likely to report experiencing discrimination based on their sexual orientation than gender-conforming LGBQ cisgender employees (27%) and cisgender LGBQ employees who were equally conforming and nonconforming (36%).
  • About thirty percent (29%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported being fired, 34% reported not being hired, and 38% reported not being promoted or denied other opportunities at work because of their sexual orientation at some point in their lives, compared to 16%, 17%, and 16% of gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees, respectively, at some point in their lives.
  • Comparing cisgender men and women, GNC GB men were more likely to report not being hired (47% vs. 25%) or promoted (49% vs. 31%) and twice as likely to report being fired (41% vs. 21%) compared to GNC LB women.
  • Over half (54%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported that they had been treated unfairly at work because of their sexual orientation at some point in their lives. Some of these experiences included receiving negative performance evaluations, being denied bonuses and job assignments, not being allowed to work with customers and clients, and being ostracized by their coworkers.
• Harassment: About half (49%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing at least one form of harassment (verbal, physical, or sexual) at work at some point in their lives because of their sexual orientation.
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees (49%) were more likely to report harassment than gender-conforming LGBQ employees (35%) and those who were equally conforming and nonconforming (32%).
  • Forty-six percent of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing verbal harassment because of their sexual orientation, citing examples of name-calling, being misgendered, being harassed for not conforming to traditional binary gender roles or gender stereotypes, and being harassed because of their coworkers’ and/or supervisors’ religious beliefs.
  • About one-quarter (26%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing physical harassment and one-third (32%) experienced sexual harassment at work because of their sexual orientation.
  • Comparing GNC cisgender men and women, GB men were more likely than LB women to report harassment in the workplace (65% vs. 39%), including verbal (62% vs. 35%), sexual (46% vs. 24%), and physical (42% vs. 16%) harassment.
• Beyond how they have been personally treated, 79% of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees had heard negative comments about LGBTQ people in the workplace.

Intersectional Discrimination and Harassment

• When asked to describe their worst experiences of discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, many GNC cisgender LGBQ employees described intersectional discrimination based on their multiple marginalized identities. In addition to discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender expression, they described experiences of discrimination related to or based on race/ethnicity, religion, disability, pregnancy, gender, and age.

Recent Experiences of Discrimination and Harassment

• Almost one in four (23%) GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing some form of discrimination or harassment based on their sexual orientation in the past year, compared to 12% of gender-conforming employees and 18% of those who were equally conforming and nonconforming.
• Discrimination: One in seven (14%) GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing employment discrimination (including being fired, not hired, or being denied a promotion or other workplace opportunities) based on their sexual orientation in the past year, and more than one-third (37%) reported experiencing discrimination in the past five years.
  • More specifically, 6% of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported being fired, 8% reported not being hired, and 9% reported being denied a promotion or other workplace opportunities based on their sexual orientation in the past year.
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were twice as likely as gender-conforming employees to report experiencing employment discrimination in the past year (14% vs. 7%) and the past five years (37% vs. 15%).
  • Among GNC cisgender employees, GB men were more than twice as likely as LB women to report workplace discrimination in the past year (23% vs. 9%). When looking at gender-conforming cisgender LGBQ employees, GB men and LB women had similar percentages of reporting workplace discrimination (6% vs. 8%).
• Harassment: Eighteen percent of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported experiencing at least one form of harassment in the workplace based on their sexual orientation in the past year, and 36% reported these experiences in the past five years.
  • More specifically, in the past year, 14% of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported verbal harassment, 8% reported physical harassment, and 11% reported sexual harassment.
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were more than twice as likely as gender-conforming employees to report experiencing harassment in the past year (18% vs. 8%) and past five years (36% vs. 17%). GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were also more likely than LGBQ employees who were equally conforming and nonconforming to report such harassment in the past year (18% vs. 12%) and past five years (36% vs. 22%).
  • Among GNC cisgender LGBQ employees, GB men were twice as likely as LB women to report workplace harassment in the past year (25% vs. 13%) and past five years (50% vs. 26%).
• Negative comments: Almost half (49%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported hearing negative comments about LGBTQ people in the workplace in the past year.

Experiences at Current Job

• Six in 10 GNC cisgender LGBQ employees felt that their current workplace environment was somewhat or very supportive (60%), while 19% felt the environment was somewhat or very unsupportive. These percentages mirrored those who expressed job satisfaction (62%) and dissatisfaction (21%) with their current jobs.
• Forty percent of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported some type of adverse workplace experience related to their sexual orientation at their current job.
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were more likely to report adverse workplace experiences at their current job than gender-conforming employees (40% vs. 19%) and employees who were equally conforming and nonconforming (40% vs. 26%).
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were twice as likely as gender-conforming employees to report being treated unfairly (28% vs. 12%), verbally harassed (17% vs. 8%), and sexually harassed (11% vs. 5%), and more than three times as likely to report not being promoted (19% vs. 5%) at their current job.
  • Among GNC cisgender LGBQ employees, GB men were more likely than LB women to report one or more adverse workplace experiences (53% vs. 32%). More specifically, GB men were twice as likely as LB women to report being treated unfairly (41% vs. 20%) and verbally harassed (25% vs. 12%) at their current job.

Out at Work

• Most (88%) GNC cisgender employees reported being out to at least a few coworkers and/or their supervisor. Almost half (47%) reported that they were out to all their coworkers.
• About one third (32%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported not being out as LGBQ to their supervisor. GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were the least likely to report not being out as LGBTQ to their supervisor compared to gender-conforming LGBQ employees (50%), LGBQ employees who are equally conforming and nonconforming (43%), and TNB employees (41%).
• GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were half as likely as gender-conforming employees (13% vs. 24%) to report not being out to any coworkers.

Covering

• Two-thirds of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees (66%) reported engaging in covering behaviors at their current job to avoid discrimination or harassment related to their sexual orientation compared to 55% of gender-conforming LGBQ employees.
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were twice as likely as gender-conforming employees to report changing their voice and mannerisms (34% vs. 16%); how they dressed (30% vs. 13%); their appearance (26% vs. 14%); and where, when, or how frequently they used the bathroom (19% vs. 7%) at work.
  • Additionally, 29% of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported avoiding work events and travel, 44% reported avoiding work-related social events, and 45% reported avoiding conversations about their social activities outside of work with coworkers to avoid discrimination and harassment based on their sexual orientation. Forty-two percent of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported avoiding talking about their family at work and more than one-third reported hiding family photos (36%) and not bringing family members to work-related events (36%).
  • Among GNC cisgender LGBQ employees, GB men were more likely than LB women to report engaging in covering behaviors (78% vs. 58%).

Retention

• Almost half (48%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported leaving a job at some point in their lives because of how they were treated by their employer based on their sexual orientation; more than half reported looking for other jobs because of how they were personally treated by their employer based on their LGBTQ status (53%) or due to their workplace environment being unsupportive of LGBTQ people (54%).
  • GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were more likely than gender-conforming employees to have left a job (48% vs. 26%) or looked for a job because of how they were treated by their employer (53% vs. 29%), or to have looked for a job due to the workplace environment for LGBTQ people (54% vs. 33%).
  • Among GNC cisgender LGBQ employees, GB men were more likely than LB women to have left a job (60% vs. 41%) or looked for a job because of how they were treated by their employer (66% vs. 45%) or looked for a job due to the workplace environment for LGBTQ people (64% vs. 49%).
• Due to the workplace environment for LGBTQ people at their current job, more than a fifth (22%) of GNC cisgender LGBQ employees reported that they considered leaving. Of those, three-fourths (76%) reported taking steps towards finding another job. GNC cisgender LGBQ employees were twice as likely as gender-conforming employees to report that they considered leaving their current job due to an unsupportive workplace environment for LGBTQ people (22% vs. 10%).

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