Teaching, Schools, and Society Through the Lens of LGBTQ2S+ Educators’ Oral Histories

• In Event: 21020 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 11: Educator Identities and Experiences

Abstract

It is 1977 and Anita Bryant is on a crusade, rallying thousands of conservative citizens to repeal a Dade County ordinance prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals. This campaign’s focus: Save Our Children from Homosexuality, because, since homosexuals cannot reproduce, they must recruit, and what better place to recruit than in the classroom. This was Florida, where in the previous decade The John’s Committee targeted homosexual teachers, purging many from the profession. Imagine being a teacher in your first year in a southern state and seeing Anita's campaign unfold and being asked point-blank by the director of a program in a school where you work: are you a homosexual? Richard was asked, and his response could have been one of denial since he was aware of what was occurring in society, not just in Florida, knowing what was creeping across the country targeting LGBTQ2S+ people and schools. He did not deny his homosexuality.

How can one understand this current moment where the Trump regime and conservative elected officials are targeting LGBTQ2S+-ness and schooling, teaching, being LGBTQ2S+ and being in schools? One way is through the lens of LGBTQ2S+ educators who have navigated eras where being LGBTQ2S+ and a teacher led many to keep their two lives separate. This presentation shares the oral histories of four educators who began their careers in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s; three are retired and one is three years from retirement. All participants longed to be teachers, a career they knew would be difficult to navigate with their personal lives, but they would not be deterred and forged ahead. How they navigated and survived the workplace is at the core of this presentation, shedding light on being LGBTQ2S+ and an educator, of what these intersecting identities say about sexuality, society, and work.

Author

• Michael Bartone, Central Connecticut State University