Heterosexist policies & procedures, as well as ways of relating or conversing among co-workers, can make the workplace an intimidating, threatening, & exclusionary environment for lesbians, gays, & bisexuals. This test allows employers & employees to re-consider their relationships with their co-workers - & to alert human resource managers that their policies may be exclusionary. This test is not for research purposes. The Heterosexism Enquirer cannot obtain the results.
Check the answers that most resemble yours. The scoring instructions can be found at the bottom of this page. When you have completed the test, total your score, & discover how your workplace rates -- is it heterosexist...or inclusive? Press the reset button to clear the page.
1. Does your workplace have anti-discrimination or anti-harassment policies?
a. yes (0)
b. no (6)
c. I don't know. (3)
2. If yes to question 1, does this policy forbid discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation?
a. yes (0)
b. no (6)
c. I don't know. (3)
3. Does your workplace offer sensitivity/ awareness training on human rights issues such as sexism/ racism in order to ensure a harassment-free, inclusive workplace?
a. yes (0)
b. no (3)
c. I don't know. (3)
4. If yes to number 3, does this sensitivity/ awareness training also include issues pertaining to lesbians, gays, & bisexuals?
a. yes (0)
b. no (3)
c. I don't know. (3)
5. If you are an employer, would you be reluctant to hire someone who wasn't heterosexual?
a. yes (6)
b. no (0)
6. Whether you are an employer or employee, would you be uncomfortable working with someone who was gay, lesbian, or bisexual?
a. yes (6)
b. no (0)
7. Have any of your co-workers ever been lesbian, gay, or bisexual?
a. yes (0)
b. no (3)
c. I don't know. (0)
8. If yes to number 7, how do you know?
a. I know because they came out to me. (0)
b. I assumed it because of the way they looked. (3)
c. I heard it from another co-worker. (3)
9. If no to number 7, how do you know?
a. No one has ever come out to me at work. Unless they tell me, I'm going to assume that they're heterosexual. (3)
b. I would have heard about it if anyone was gay. (3)
c. Everyone looks pretty straight to me! (3)
10. Has anyone in your workplace ever been denied personal or professional opportunities because of their sexual orientation?
a. yes (6)
b. no (0)
c. I don't know. (0)
11. Has anyone in your workplace ever experienced personal harassment or violence as a result of their sexual orientation?
a. yes (6)
b. no (0)
c. I don't know. (0)
12. When significant others are invited to work-related social events, how are the invitations written/spoken?
a. Please feel free to bring a guest. (0)
b. Spouses are welcome! (6)
c. Please invite your husband or wife/ boyfriend or girlfriend! (6)
d. Significant others/ partners are welcome. (0)
13. When getting to know a new employee, are you sensitive to the possibility that they may be gay, lesbian, or bisexual by asking questions about their personal life that are inclusive (i.e. questions that do not apply exclusively to heterosexuals) ?
a. yes (0)
b. no (3)
c. Never thought about it. (3)
14. When having informal discussions at work, do you try to ensure that the experiences & needs of all groups members are considered -- i.e. do you acknowledge that not all co-workers conform to one lifestyle?
a. yes (0)
b. no (3)
c. Never thought about it. (3)
15. Are jokes about lesbians, gays, or bisexuals accepted at your workplace as just another way of releasing tension & having fun?
a. yes (6)
b. no (0)
16. If your business/agency/institution occasionally supports charities, would it consider a fund-raising drive or event for a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating homophobic-based discrimination & violence?
a. yes (0)
b. no (6)
c. not applicable. (0)
17. Are homophobic & heterosexist comments or slurs tolerated & not confronted in your workplace?
a. Yes (6)
b. No (0)
18. If your workplace has a waiting area for clients, do you ensure that the reading material is representative of all segments of the population? (For example, not all women like Good Housekeeping, nor all men Popular Mechanics!)
a. Yes (0)
b. No (3)
c. Not applicable. (0)
19. If you have clients, do you assume that they are heterosexual-by-default & treat them accordingly?
a. Yes (3)
b. No (0)
c. Not applicable. (0)
20. Does your benefit package acknowledge same-sex relationships?
a. yes (0)
b. no (6)
c. I don't know. (3)
21. If yes to number 20, what components are inclusive? (Check all that apply).
a. Yes - the health plan recognizes same sex partners. (0)
b. Yes - the pension plan allows benefits to be transferred to a same
sex partner. (0)
c. Yes - it offers parental leave instead of maternal/paternal leave. (0)
22. Do you equally acknowledge the relationships of your co-workers, colleagues, or clients by ensuring, for example, that anniversaries, births, & marriages/union ceremonies, are celebrated in the same way or that all partners are acknowledged?
a. Yes (0)
b. No (6)
c. Never gave it any thought (3)
To discover whether your workplace rates as enlightened, progressing, or heterosexist, add the red numbers that appear next to the answers you've chosen. For an explanation of the totals, keep reading!
Enlightened (Your score was 0): If you score was zero, your workplace is an inclusive, progressive environment in which difference is acknowledged, respected, & appreciated. Your employer, or you, as an employer, have made considerable efforts to promote a workplace in which everyone is free of intolerance, harassment, & discrimination. This atmosphere of respect - of treating people with dignity - has wonderful repercussions. The majority of people who work with you are probably enthusiastic about what they do - productivity & creativity are high, while levels of absenteeism, dissatisfaction, & burnout are low. Where do you work?? We could all use jobs like that!
Progressing (Your score was between 3 & 35) : Since the difference between 3 & 35 is rather vast, think of your workplace attitudes/policies as existing along a continuum. The lower the score, the less heterosexist...& the more progressive your workplace in terms of its levels of tolerance. If you scored within this range, your workplace has not taken all possible measures to ensure that everyone is equally acknowledged. Maybe no one is overtly discriminatory or homophobic but maybe your policies and ways of relating with colleagues begin with the assumption that everyone is straight - & now that you've given it some thought, then you can readily start acknowledging that this is not the case & begin to act or to develop policies accordingly.
Heterosexist (Your score was between 35 & 78): Your workplace is an intimidating, uncomfortable, & possibly hostile environment for lesbian, gay, or bisexual employees or clients. Employers & employees tend to conform to social values that assume that everyone is straight... & that straight is somehow better. Your workplace policies reflect this assumption. Homophobia, the overt expression of fear, hate, or dislike towards homosexuals, is frequently expressed.
The fact that you've completed this test, however, may indicate that you're ready for a change - a change towards tolerance & inclusiveness. To create a kinder workplace that treats all of its members with dignity & respect, begin to take the following actions: recognize that you probably have lesbian/gay/bisexual colleagues or clients; begin to support services & initiatives that assist same-sex oriented people; refuse to tolerate jokes, gestures, innuendos against non-heterosexuals; speak out against forms of homophobic-based intimidation & violence; confront heterosexist remarks; find out how your workplace could benefit from sensitivity & awareness training on LGBT issues; & examine your workplace's policies & procedures, as well as its benefit packages, to determine how they can be more representative of all people.
To unlearn heterosexist & homophobic social values is not a difficult process - in fact, you've already begun. Keep learning from this web site. Begin by acknowledging the possibility of diversity & acceptance.
Created by former Editor, L. Yetman, August, 2000.