Prof Noronha, who teaches organizational behaviour at IIM-A, said that the study was among the first primarily focusing on gay people's workplace experiences in India.
The respondents said they had to first assess their colleagues' potential responses by discreetly broaching topics such as LGBT rights or queer films. Researchers said that some of the respondents confided in their colleagues whom they found trustworthy and understanding. Almost all of them often encountered questions about their marriage, social life, and their girlfriend or boyfriend. The respondents said that they often remained a part of the heterosexual crowd - a safety tactic known as ‘straight acting' - fearing ostracization and even bullying. Their social media accounts were different even for their friends and colleagues or family.
The interviews afforded rare and poignant insights - one, for instance, is that most of the respondents led dual lives, involving the projection of straight selves. It is one of the few studies focusing on the work life of gay people in India's corporate structures. The study included the experiences of 40 gay men and lesbians working with some prominent India-based firms. It was published recently in ‘Journal of Business Ethics' of the Springer group.
The study, ‘From Fear to Courage: Indian lesbians' and gays' quest for inclusive ethical organizations', was authored by Ernesto Noronha and Premilla D'Cruz from IIM-A and Nidhi S Bisht from MDI Gurgaon. On the brighter side, in-depth interviews of gay and lesbian executives and managers by the researchers revealed that they can now confide in their colleagues who are supportive. A study by IIM-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and MDI, Gurugram, indicates that the scrapping of Section 377 is yet to bring about a sweeping inclusivity in India Inc as most still chose to hide their sexual orientation from their bosses and continued to live dual lives fearing adverse impact on career prospects.