Gender & Sexuality Studies 2026

Abstract

Despite growing organisational commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion, many workplaces remain structurally unsupportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees. This paper examines how unsupportive contexts of LGBT inclusion emerge and persist within institutions that formally endorse diversity while simultaneously reproducing exclusionary norms. Rather than viewing exclusion as isolated incidents of discrimination, the study conceptualises unsupportive contexts as organisational environments in which everyday practices, leadership narratives and governance arrangements collectively undermine LGBT inclusion.

Drawing on theories of recognition, intersectionality and institutional accountability, the paper identifies three mechanisms through which unsupportive contexts are produced. First, institutional misrecognition renders LGBT identities invisible, contested or marginal within organisational discourse. Second, toxic leadership cultures reproduce heteronormative expectations and silence dissenting voices that challenge exclusionary practices. Third, processes of responsibilisation shift the burden of navigating discrimination and securing inclusion onto LGBT individuals themselves, asking them to adapt, educate others or demonstrate resilience rather than transforming institutional structures.

The paper develops a conceptual framework explaining how these mechanisms interact to normalise inequality even within organisations that publicly endorse diversity. By examining the relational dynamics between leadership practices, institutional norms and marginalised identities, the study highlights the limitations of symbolic diversity initiatives that fail to address structural power relations.

The paper concludes by outlining pathways for transforming unsupportive contexts through recognition-based accountability and institutional responsibility for protecting gender and sexual diversity in organisational life.

Biography

TBA