Don't ask, don't tell? Does disclosure of gay identity affect partner performance?

Supporters of policies that force gay and lesbian individuals to conceal their sexual orientation in the workplace argue that working with openly gay individuals undermines performance. We examine this claim in two studies and find the opposite effect. Specifically, participants working with openly gay partners performed better on a cognitive task (i.e., a math test) and a sensory-motor task (i.e., a Wii shooting game) than individuals left to wonder about the sexual orientation of their partners. These results suggest that policies, such as “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” that introduce uncertainty into social interactions harm rather than protect performance.

► Participants work with a gay confederate who discloses or conceals his sexual orientation.
► We measure participants' performance on cognitive and sensory motor tasks.
► Participants paired with an openly gay confederate perform better than participants paired with ambiguously gay confederate.