Disclosure of sexual orientation and the process of discrimination

This dissertation explains why homosexual men experience earnings differentials despite their ability to pass as heterosexual, shows how "passing" prolonged the civil rights movement for homosexuals, and demonstrates that state laws protecting homosexuals from labor market discrimination reduce earnings differentials. An emerging literature documents the existence of a wage penalty for homosexual males, but does not offer an explanation of why the penalty exists given the ability of homosexuals to "pass". Understanding how wage differentials manifest is crucial to understanding why competition may not erode wage differentials as traditional models of wage differentials for populations with visible minority traits suggests. Since competition does not necessarily erode wage differentials for homosexuals, an understanding of the source of wage differentials aids in the development of policy aimed to decrease the homosexual wage penalty.