Positioning of lesbian and gay workers within the corporate sector in Sri Lanka: The case study of residents in Colombo District

Abstract

This study is based on experiences of Sri Lankan lesbian and gay workers’ careers in the corporate sector (manufacturing and services). The study began with the intention of shedding light on a grey area to observe the negative effects on lesbian and gay workers and their experiences while employed in the Sri Lankan corporate sector. It used semi-structured interviews with nine participants (five gay men and four lesbian women). The findings are that lesbian and gay workers experience discrimination at work in the Sri Lankan corporate sector with the exception of companies related to advertising and Non-Governmental Organisations, which are the sectors that these workers most prefer.
Keywords: Lesbian workers, gay workers, Sri Lankan corporate sector, discrimination, social identity theory