Mason, M., Vaughan, S. and Weil, B. 2023. The Possible Forms of Professionalism: Credibility and the Performance of Queer Sexualities Among Barristers in England & Wales. Journal of Law and Society. 50 (1), pp. 77-99. https://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12408
| Title | The Possible Forms of Professionalism: Credibility and the Performance of Queer Sexualities Among Barristers in England & Wales |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Mason, M., Vaughan, S. and Weil, B. |
| Abstract | This paper contributes the first account of sexual minority barristers’ experience of and relation to professionalism at the Bar. Drawing on survey and interview data, it presents the Bar as a site of heteronormativity, where masculinist heterosexuality is pervasively assumed and publicly valorised. The ‘credible’ barrister - authoritative, respected, competent - is constructed as heterosexual. In this context, sexual minority barristers risk a loss of credibility in coming out or being out in the workplace. Our data present mechanisms by which these individuals manage the public expression of their sexuality. Some - in contrast to heterosexual colleagues - deny entirely the professional relevance of their sexuality; others adopt assimilationist strategies, curating a ‘credible’ public persona: out, but otherwise conforming to heteronormative expectations and values. While the data include hopeful exceptions, many sexual minority barristers experience professionalism as pressure to render their sexuality effectively invisible, at significant cost personally and professionally. |
| Keywords | LGBTQ+ |
| Queer | |
| Lawyers | |
| Barristers | |
| Sexuality | |
| Professionalism | |
| Sexual Minorities | |
| Coming out | |
| credibility | |
| workplaces | |
| Bar of England and Wales | |
| Journal | Journal of Law and Society |
| Journal citation | 50 (1), pp. 77-99 |
| ISSN | 0263-323X |
| 1467-6478 | |
| Year | 2023 |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12408 |
| Web address (URL) | http://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12408 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 13 Mar 2023 |
| Project | Going to the Gay Bar, Gay Bar: Sexuality and Barristers in England and Wales |