“It’s Already Happened”: Examining the Impact of Same-Sex Marriage on Curriculum and Instruction

• In Event: Roundtable Session 100
  In Roundtable Session: Challenging Epistemologies and Methodologies That Frame Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Research

Abstract

This study explores the impact of the legalization of same-sex marriage on curriculum and instruction. Preliminary findings suggest that teachers in states without legalized same-sex marriage are unwilling or feel unable to incorporate LGBTQ topics into their teaching. Interestingly, all of these respondents who feel anything gay should not be discussed in school self-identify as religious. None of the teachers who would like to discuss LGBTQ topics but feel constrained by various factors including their administration and the subjects they teach identify as religious. None of the responses so far have been from teachers teaching in states with legalized same-sex marriage. These preliminary findings indicate that more data and a more thorough analysis will yield rich results.

Authors

• Janna Jackson Kellinger, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Lianna Levine, University of Massachusetts - Boston