Breaking the Silence: Education and Awareness Raising Dolores Kandelin Mogard Akademikerförbundet SSR / Union of Professionals

All Clear (Fritt Fram) An Equal project about creating open and inclusive workplaces

Vision To create a working environment where every single individual is respected and have equal rights and opportunities regardless of their sexual orientation

Brief Facts An Equal collaboration about sexual orientation at work Project Period: January 2002 – September 2007 Two Equal projects: Normgiving Diversity and Homosexuals and Bisexuals in the Care System The training tool All Clear has been produced by the both projects together From 2005 the organisations from the two Equal projects cooperate in All Clear All Clear is coordinated and supported by many different kinds of organizations, such as employers associations, trade unions, LGBT organizations, a municipality and a state government: The Ombudsman against Discrimination on grounds of Sexual Orientation. September 2007 the new training tool was launched; All Clear 2.0

Activities Development of educational resources, methodologies for raising awareness and training material Provide training for everyone in a workplace; employees, employers, representatives Research Awareness raising through media, conferences, seminars, trade fairs

Target Groups Employers Employees Trade unionists

Content in a Training session Personal values exercises Terms and concepts The heteronorm and heteronormativity The importance of being able to be open Films and discussion

Recommendations Work in cooperation with different kinds of organizations Focus on structures and norms, but work on a practical level

All Clear (Fritt Fram) To order books and dvd:s, visit

Personal Values Exercises Sexual orientation is not of interest at work Heterosexuals talk about their sexual orientation at work At my place of work, it would be easy to tell people that you are gay, lesbian or bisexual

Personal Values Exercise  Sexual orientation is not of interest at work  Yes/No/Maybe

Personal Values Exercise  Heterosexuals talk about their sexual orientation at work  Yes/No/Maybe

Personal Values Exercise  At my place of work, it would be easy to tell people that you are gay, lesbian or bisexual  Yes/No/Maybe

Sexual orientation Associate freely on sexual orientation Transvestism Transsexuality Trans HomosexualityBisexuality S/M Pedophilia Necrophilia Fetischism Heterosexuality Orientation Behaviour gender identitity, expression gender

The Heteronorm We are born Girl Boy FeminineMasculine BoysGirls

The Importance of Being Open

Research on Openness in the Workplace 2003: Swedish National Insitute for Working Life study on working conditions and Vulnerability General population sample Occupation sample LGBT organizations sample Ca 14,000 responses (50% response rate)

Differences in Experiences Degrading and ridiculing opinions about homo- and bisexuals in general occur at work: 28% of homo- and bisexual women answer ”yes” 8% of heterosexual women answer ”yes” Men: 25% and 15% Swedish National Institute for Working Life, 2003

Openness Not open to colleagues 25% in the LGBT organizations sample 50% in the general and occupation sample Ewen fewer are open towards ”customer and clients” Swedish National Institute for Working Life, 2003

Openness Of those whore not open, 40 % refrain from taking part in conversation with colleagues and others for fear of being ”outed” 60% of those who are not open think that most of their colleagues know that they are homo/bisexual anyway Swedish National Institute for Working Life, 2003

Study Conclusions There are significant differences in experiences between heterosexuals and homo/bisexuals A large number are not open A gender perspective is necessary in the analysis Similar conclusions were drawn in a 2003 study at Karlsatd University in Sweden

Method Focus on the heterosexual norm ??