Research Proposal

I believe the guiding question to my own research will stem from the overarching question of “How can society improve the feelings of inclusion to LGBTQ community employees and overall gender diversity within the workplace?”. I myself am not a member of the LGBTQ community, as I am a heterosexual female, but I feel as though this is an area of inclusion that needs to be improved on as soon as possible. Gender identity is not always a visible distinguishing characteristic of an individual, many do not feel as though they are in workplaces that would accept their gender identity so they feel as though they should repress it. Unlike race and ethnicity, gender identity does not have a color or specific physical characteristics, it instead is an identifier that an individual chooses for themselves as they best see fit. Through extensive research with providing inclusive working environments for those who identify with the LGTBQ community, I hope to find a few things. For one, I would definitely want to better understand the discrimination those face when pressed with judgements of gender. I think it is essential as a heterosexual female, who does not face discreet discrimination when it comes to my gender, to understand what hardships those who experience backlash for their identity face and how it intervenes within their daily lives. I am also curious to see what action has started to take place in businesses to help improve this inclusion for those of all gender identifications. As a society, we have taken big leaps to provide such inclusion for the LGBTQ community such as legalizing marriage for those of any gender and being able to enlist any gender into the military, but we are still years away from providing the LGBTQ community with the inclusion and respect they deserve. Out of all subfields, I think it is the most beneficial to focus on the business aspect and how LGBTQ community members are treated as employees. Money makes the world go round, and to earn money you need a job; but if the job entails facing explicit discrimination, who would feel comfortable going into a working environment feeling belittled and threatened constantly? I hope to find some evidence of businesses working on improving their gender diversity within their respected companies/organizations, and I also hope to stumble upon some accounts of experiences from members of LGBTQ community have gone through when it comes to inclusion at work. It is hard to grasp something that you may not experience personally, from this I want to gain a better understanding of the LGBTQ community as an ally.