Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Evaluation

One of the many challenges an evaluator faces is designing and implementing an evaluation process that is inclusive and safe for individuals who choose to be open about their sexual identity. An effective evaluator must grapple with the complexity of what it means to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) if she or he hopes to be inclusive.

People who identify as LGBT are diverse in terms of their socioeconomic class, race, ethnicity, religion, and sex, and they are hidden because their sexual identity is not known with certainty unless they self-identify. Assumptions are often made about one's sexual identity if one's gender identity or gender presentation is deemed incongruent with one's sex. For example, if a male's gender presentation is considered overly feminine through behavior or appearance, he may be considered gay. If a female's gender presentation is considered overly masculine, she may be considered a lesbian. These types of assumptions are based on the meanings Western culture gives to the conjoining of sex and gender. A binary system of two [Page 227]sexes (female and male) and two genders (feminine and masculine) exists with a perceived inherent relationship between sex and gender (male = masculine, female = feminine). (In this entry, the use of the term opposite sex has been deliberately avoided and other sex used in its place to stay away from oppositional binary thinking about sexes.)

Embedded in this understanding is the belief that male or masculine is superior to female or feminine, thus laying the foundation for sexism or male supremacy in our culture, and the belief that the “natural” sexual relationship between males and females is heterosexual, thus providing the groundwork for heterosexism or heterosexual supremacy. LGBT people and heterosexuals who do not identify as transgendered yet deviate from the sex and gender norm are exposed to discrimination, threats of violence, and even death due to the practice of sexism and heterosexism in our culture. Coupled with the political nature of evaluation, the effects of sexism and heterosexism have serious implications for evaluators and the evaluation process.

Although lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered identities are categorized together, there are distinct and important differences between each identity and within each identity. The differences between and within each identity are especially significant when considered with the intersections of other identities, such as race, class, ethnicity, and religion. The intersections of these identities affect how gender is defined within the framework of those identities. The meanings given to the concepts of man and woman can vary by culture, class, and religion. Within that context, what it means to be LGBT and the consequences for being identified or self-identifying as LGBT can vary greatly.

Some similarities and differences between the sexual identities include the following:

• Lesbians experience sexism as women and as lesbians, with sexism getting increasingly virulent as a woman's gender presentation gets more masculine; lesbians experience heterosexism.
• Gays experience privileges as men but face increasing hostility as the man's gender presentation gets more feminine; gays experience heterosexism.
• Bisexuals experience sexism and heterosexism similarly to lesbians or gays if they are involved in a same-sex partnership. If in a heterosexual partnership, they would experience privileges as heterosexuals, and they would be given more latitude with their gender presentation.

There exists a multiplicity of meanings within each LGBT identity, with an overlap of sexual identities depending on the definitions used (whether the definition is in terms of one's behavior or one's proclaimed identity). An example of the complexity can be seen within the possible variations existing under the term lesbian. These

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