@article{GoetzBlanz, author = {G{\"o}tz, Susanne and Blanz, Mathias}, title = {Hidden discrimination in front of social work's own door: the case of homosexual employees at Christian social services in Germany}, series = {European Journal of Social Work}, volume = {23}, journal = {European Journal of Social Work}, number = {2}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2018.1550386}, pages = {239 -- 252}, abstract = {The present article addresses a hidden discrimination of homosexual people working at Germany's largest employers in the social area: the Catholic and Protestant Churches and their Charities. On the one hand many of their employees are social workers; on the other hand these organisations showed repeatedly homophobic tendencies in the past. The study surveyed online more than 200 homosexual persons working at these organisations. The results showed that participants the less outed themselves at work the more they were afraid of becoming a target of workplace discrimination. Outing at work was more pronounced for Protestant organisations than for Catholic ones, while the result pattern was reversed with respect to participants' fear of discrimination. In addition, we linked homosexuals' tendencies to out themselves in private spaces to the political orientation of the federal states they lived in. It was found that private outing was lower in conservatively ruled federal states (CDU/CSU) compared to those governed by a left-liberal party (SPD). The discussion section focus on several recommendations on micro- and macro-levels how social work and social workers could help to normalise this conflictual situation.}, language = {en} }