Workplace Microaggressions Against LGBTI Plus Employees in Turkey: a Thematic Analysis of Environmental and Interpersonal Discrimination

Abstract

PurposeThe current study aimed to determine the extent and scope of microaggressions in the workplace directed towards LGBTI+ employees in Turkey.Design/methodology/approachThe research used both quantitative and qualitative data based on 664 statements made by individuals in the "The Situation of LGBTI+ Employees in the Private and Public Sector in Turkey" survey conducted between 2015 and 2020 (n = 2,695). The quantitative data consist of frequencies and the qualitative data center on answers to nine open ended questions regarding LGBTI+ individuals' experiences of discrimination in the workplace. We employed the taxonomy proposed by Nadal et al. (2010) to determine which actions constituted microaggressions and the form they took. We also conducted a critical discourse analysis of the open-ended questions where individuals described their experiences of microaggressions.FindingsMicroaggressions directed at LGBTI+ employees are pervasive in Turkey. Microaggressions largely follow the taxonomy created by Nadal et al. (2010) although we did not find microaggressions in all of the taxonomy's categories. We found that microaggressions mostly take the form of phobic language and mockery followed by heteronormativity, exoticization and disapproval. Two further categories, othering and threatening behaviors, emerged from our data.Originality/valueThis study addresses a significant gap in the literature on workplace microaggressions against LGBTI+ individuals, particularly in non-Western contexts. To our knowledge, it is the first study of its kind conducted in a non-Western Muslim-majority country. The research uniquely captures and critically analyzes the lived experiences of LGBTI+ employees through their own narratives, examining how microaggressions manifest as discriminatory discourses in the workplace.