Breaking the silence: learning from the experiences of gay and lesbian educators in the predominately heteronormative space of K-12 schools

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dc.contributorAtkinson, Becky
dc.contributorErevelles, Nirmala
dc.contributorKuntz, Aaron
dc.contributorMcKnight, Doug
dc.contributor.advisorAdams, Natalie
dc.contributor.authorJinright, Dwight
dc.contributor.otherUniversity of Alabama Tuscaloosa
dc.date.accessioned2020-01-16T15:03:31Z
dc.date.available2020-01-16T15:03:31Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.descriptionElectronic Thesis or Dissertationen_US
dc.description.abstractGay and lesbian teachers must constantly weigh the consequences regarding the disclosure of their sexuality (i.e. “coming out”) at school with their desire to fully integrate with colleagues and students, while trying to remain regarded as an effective educator that is not a threat to the children they teach. The primary purpose of this study was to describe and increase the understanding of the experiences that gay and lesbian educators have while working in predominantly heteronormative institutions. The study itself was qualitative in nature and relied on a phenomenological method using a series of three semi-structured interviews (Seidman, 2006) to gain knowledge of participants’ life history, their experiences working as gay or lesbian teachers, and the meaning they made of those experiences as they relate to heteronormative social structures that drive views and attitudes toward sexuality in schools. By analyzing participant stories through a lens of queer phenomenology (Ahmed, 2006), I hoped to understand how these teachers were orienting themselves toward the heteronormative spaces in which they worked, and oftentimes in the process, consequently dis-orienting themselves away from the gay or lesbian component of their identities. The three overall themes that emerged were (1) Orienting One’s Way Inside and Outside of the Educational Closet; (2) Re-Orientation - Being the Good (Gay or Lesbian) Teacher; (3) and Teaching While Gay or Lesbian – Fear and (Dis)Orientation. Although numerous similar studies have been performed, many of those studies have been exclusive of more socio-politically conservative areas such as that of the current study.en_US
dc.format.extent224 p.
dc.format.mediumelectronic
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.otheru0015_0000001_0003383
dc.identifier.otherJinright_alatus_0004D_13943
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir.ua.edu/handle/123456789/6440
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Alabama Libraries
dc.relation.hasversionborn digital
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Electronic Theses and Dissertations
dc.relation.ispartofThe University of Alabama Libraries Digital Collections
dc.rightsAll rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.en_US
dc.subjectLGBTQ studies
dc.subjectSocial sciences education
dc.titleBreaking the silence: learning from the experiences of gay and lesbian educators in the predominately heteronormative space of K-12 schoolsen_US
dc.typethesis
dc.typetext
etdms.degree.departmentUniversity of Alabama. Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies
etdms.degree.disciplineInstructional Leadership
etdms.degree.grantorThe University of Alabama
etdms.degree.leveldoctoral
etdms.degree.namePh.D.

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