Queer workers and workspaces: Stories about emotions and embodied experiences of LGBTQIA people in work-related spaces

Abstract: The aim of this study is to map and investigate the embodied experiences of LGBTQIA people in work-related spaces. The study analyses stories of emotions and experiences based on gender, sexual orientation, and other social categories and how these intersect with normative workspaces. As such, I use spatial terms of norms to approach the questions of which bodies can move and inhabit what spaces whilst accounting for the consequential affects. The study is based on semi-structured interviews, some of which were conducted digitally or with the go-along technique. The informants identify with nonnormative genders or sexual orientation, and work and reside in either Sweden or Denmark. The author’s own personal experiences are also included in the material. Using an intersectional approach, the material is analysed by looking at the intersections of how bodies move in spaces. The results pinpoint how intersecting forms of breaking norms matter in navigating workspaces. Importantly, the study finds that clothes, time, and various spaces matter for queer workers whilst negotiating feelings of safety and risk in relation to workspaces.