Gay firefighters face challenges in the workplace, including obtaining partner benefits, discrimination in hiring, and tension with co-workers. Verbal attacks and stereotypes also contribute to difficulties, with some believing that lesbian firefighters are more accepted than gay men.
A gay firefighter faces many challenges in the firefighter workplace. Some of these challenges are unique to gay men, but many are shared with others who are labeled different and excluded from the group. It may be even more difficult for a gay firefighter than a female firefighter to gain acceptance in their workplace, but both face challenges with obtaining partner benefits, hiring, and social issues within the group.
A significant complaint among gay firefighters is that employment benefits are not always available to their partners. In many states, gay partnerships are not eligible for marriage licenses, and without a marriage license, many employers will not legally recognize an employee’s partner. In many cases, a gay firefighter’s partner cannot be included in the firefighter’s health plan or be listed as a beneficiary of a life insurance or pension plan.
Typical employment policies state that it is illegal to discriminate against hires based on race, religion, color, gender or national origin. Many agencies also have a policy that protects gay men from discrimination based on their orientation, but this is not always the case. Depending on the region, discriminatory practices that exclude gays may be legal. This can pose significant difficulties for gay firefighters if they are looking for a job.
The workplace atmosphere itself can be difficult for gay men and their direct co-workers. Firefighters work 24-hour shifts and have communal showers and sleeping quarters. Everyone experiences some reservations about sharing nearby locations with others. People sometimes believe that a same-sex gay firefighter will behave inappropriately in these situations, and gay men can feel the same way about their straight counterparts. For example, direct firefighters may fear that the other will glare or make sexual advances towards another person, causing tension in the workplace.
Tension in the workplace is one of the most common and emotionally disturbing challenges for the gay firefighter. Other firefighters are sometimes unwilling to accept a gay firefighter as a colleague and equal. In a job like firefighting, it’s very important that all team members act as a cohesive unit. If co-workers can’t work with a gay firefighter, the whole team suffers.
A gay firefighter can take verbal attacks, especially careless jokes, gossip and rumours. Gays don’t suffer alone: many different types of people have experienced verbal harassment from their co-workers. These issues can usually be resolved by discussing the situation with a supervisor. If the supervisor is unsympathetic, or worse, participates in the verbal abuse, legal action may be required.
Some firefighters believe that an openly gay man is less likely to be accepted by his co-firefighters than an openly gay woman. The stereotypical view is that a lesbian is a strong, masculine woman, characteristics that make her a good candidate for the physically demanding requirements of firefighting. Gay men are believed to be effeminate and weak and therefore unsuited for the life of a firefighter. Even so, women, lesbians or not, were victims of discrimination in the fire department, since firefighting is traditionally considered a male profession.
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