Experiences of gay men during the pandemic through the lens of occupational justice

Abstract

Background:  Occupational justice is realized when individuals can participate in meaningful activities
regardless of their status in society without barriers. However, Filipinos, who identify themselves as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBT+), continue to encounter prejudice in daily life. Their participation in daily activities during the pandemic is an important facet to be understood. Hence, this study aimed to describe the experiences of working gay men during the pandemic through from an occupational justice perspective.

Methodology:  Purposive sampling was utilized in gathering individuals from an LGBT+ organization in a city within Batangas Province to attend a focus group discussion and a series of one-on-one in-depth interviews. The Occupational Justice Health Questionnaire (OJHQ) was used to guide the discussion. Deductive thematic analysis was employed to arrive at different themes.

Results:  The experiences of the eight participants composed of working gay men show that the pandemic has brought injustices into the participants' daily lives. Gay men experienced varying degrees of occupational imbalance, deprivation, alienation, and apartheid such that they expressed frustration due to constraints in community cultural life, local events, and involvement in outdoor physical participation where they could showcase their individuality and talents.

Conclusion:  The study contributes to the lack of inclusion and discourse on the experiences of the LGBT+ community that are unique and needs additional exploration to address specific needs. Despite being tagged as one of the most gay-friendly countries in Asia, there are still forms of discrimination and prejudice that still exist. Hence, the study was able to shed light on this through an occupational justice perspective, evoking justice-oriented practice among all stakeholders.