Vulch, my experiences were over a few different types of jobs, from supermarkets, warehouses to art studios. It's amazing , as one gets older how "types" become more and more visible.
It was more fun when I was young, when I didn't have the ability to pick a bad 'un from a good 'un, but now I can spot a chancer or a user (or a bad boss) from a hundred metres away.
It certainly saves time, you're spared the weeks or months of dancing around while you figure why this guy can't give you a straight answer or why this woman won't look you in the eye, and your own sexuality is less of a factor too. As an older person you have developed coping strategies and a quiver of first rate excuses that prevent you from fully confronting idiots and keep you out of trouble.
I do make light-hearted jest at lesbians expense, because I know and have known many gay women, all of whom I got on with. The real trouble stems from spurned heterosexual women, or female bosses in unhappy relationships who bring their problems to work.
I work with a number of women "bosses" at the moment in the form of editors, and imho the best syndicate head is a woman, namely Amy Lago at WPWG, who has been very supportive of my work, much more than any male exec.
I was at a party over Christmas and the talk got around to peoples' workplaces. All the women, without exception, said that they would hate to work in an all female team. They actively sought male company as often as possible and felt they needed men.
Many of the guys already worked in all-male environments and didn't want things to change. The ones who worked in mixed workforces tended to stick to male company during their work breaks, etc.
I found all this fascinating, and it reinforced to me my feeling that the real glass ceiling is one which women have installed and maintain.
