Navigating Personal and Professional Identities in the Higher Education Workplace: A Facilitated Autoethnography

Professional identity is the amalgamation of life histories and experiences, education and training, personal dispositions, mental and physical well-being, and attitude toward work. Our sense of ourselves shapes the work that we do and vice versa. Yet, societal scripts dictate nondominant workers compartmentalize their identities and leave personal identity at home. Despite constituting a significant portion of the workforce, the workplace experiences of sexual minorities have been underexamined. Sexual minorities are vigilant at work, managing their personal identity to prevent or lessen backlash to their professional identity. Thus, using facilitated autoethnography, along with a queer theory perspective, this chapter examines the experiences of lesbian and gay professionals in higher education managing their intersecting personal and professional identities. Identifying as LGBTQ and working in higher education presents a distinctive experience of performance and commodification. Employees are aware their behavior can influence the perceptions of others. Behavior or image that confirms sexual minority status can have implications for employment.