"Put the Jesuit Out Front": How a Catholic, Jesuit University Addresses LGBT Issues

• In Event: 53.081 - Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: 53.081-7 - LGBTQ Issues in the Catholic Educational Context

Abstract

Using a case study approach, this study examined the tactics employed by faculty, staff, and student grassroots leaders at a Jesuit, Catholic university to address the LGBT campus climate. The primary tactics employed were one-on-one confrontations to respond to anti-LGBT microaggressions, but other successful tactics included a Safe Zone program and collecting data on the campus climate. Participants also described how the university’s Catholic affiliation drove resistance to their efforts, especially from local Church leaders or university constituents concerned about Catholic identity. They navigated these power dynamics by framing LGBT issues as congruent with the university mission, and engaging influential Jesuit priests, knowledgeable on the teachings of the Church, who served as allies.

Author

• Bryce Edward Hughes, Montana State University