Rules of Engagement as Survival Consciousness: Gay Male Law Enforcement Officers’ Experiential Learning in a Masculinized Industry

Joshua C. Collins, Tonette S. Rocco

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Gay men face decisions associated with disclosure, the process of coming out as gay, when and if to disclose, and how much information. These decisions carry more weight in masculinized industries such as law enforcement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to critically explore gay male law enforcement officers’ experiences working in a masculinized industry. A critical interpretation process revealed that gay male law enforcement officers learn tacit and informal “rules of engagement,” which are enacted as a form of survival consciousness to cope in an industry that is continually hostile toward gay identity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)295-312
Number of pages18
JournalAdult Education Quarterly
Volume65
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 28 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, © The Author(s) 2015.

Keywords

  • experiential learning
  • gay men
  • law enforcement

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