Out, Proud, but Silenced: Critical Idealism in School-to-Home Relationships for Gay Fathers

• In Event: The Visibility and Advocacy of Historically Marginalized Parents in U.S. Public Schools

Abstract

Objectives
Research has begun to advance our understandings of same-sex parents in school-to-home relationships; however, three critical limitations exist. First, many studies are relatively outdated, especially considering recent social and political shifts surrounding sexual orientation (e.g., Casper, Schultz, & Wickens, 1992; Mercier & Harold, 2003).  Second, even more recent studies do not explicitly connect such shifts and education-related experiences (e.g., Goldberg, 2014; Kosciw & Diaz, 2008).  Finally, the outcomes of studies have reflected the perspectives of lesbian mothers or gay and lesbian parents as aggregated data (e.g., Goldberg, 2014; Kosciw & Diaz, 2008; Mercier & Harold, 2003). Gay fathers’ experiences alone have not been thoroughly represented (Author, 2017). As such, this study explores the experiences of gay fathers navigating schooling and educational spaces for their children.

Theoretical Framework
This study employs two conceptual frameworks: ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; 1986) and queer theory (e.g., Kitzinger, 2005; Warner, 1993; West & Zimmerman, 1987).  Bronfenbrenner’s work (1979; 1986) consists of five layers for analyzing the wide range of spaces, locations, and interactions involved in school-to-home relationships.  One layer in particular, the macrosystem, sheds light on the sociopolitical contexts of families whose unique configurations differ from households headed by two, heterosexual parents (Goldberg, 2010).  Expounding further upon such sociopolitical contexts, queer theory critically interrogates the social construction of gender and sexuality (West & Zimmerman, 1987), and uncovers heterosexism and heteronormativity—the presumption, privilege, and power of heterosexuality—that pervades our society and schools (Kitzinger, 2005; Warner, 1993).  Furthermore, queer theory exposes the ways that same-sex parented and gay-fathered households “do family” in ways that challenge constructions of heterosexual-parented households as the norm throughout society (Perlesz et al., 2006).

Methods and Data Sources
Qualitative, phenomenological inquiry guides the design of this study, as it offers critical insight into the lived experiences of individuals in social and institutional interactions (Van Manen, 1990).  Primary data consisted of two, in-person, semi-structured interviews each with 22 gay-fathered households living in the Northeast section of the United States—the majority of which were two-parented, White, and middle- to upper-class socioeconomic status.  The first round of interviews lasted between 60-90 minutes, while the second, 20-30 minutes.  Data for this study also included forms of school-to-home communication and weekly memoing.

Conclusions and Significance
Findings indicate that, overall, the fathers in this study approached their children’s schooling and education with critical idealism.  On one hand, they had a strong presence in their children’s schools through very traditional forms of parental engagement (e.g., classroom parents, membership in parent-teacher associations, participation in school events).  Nevertheless, all fathers expressed concerns for the ways in which teachers and school administrators largely ignored issues related to their unique family configurations such as continued assumptions of (two) heterosexual parents through registration forms and other school practices, the absence of LGBTQ-related topics in school curricula, and concerns about their children’s safety.  This study is significant in its contribution to research on critical perspectives of school-to-home relationships, as well as its unearthing of heteronormative policies and practices that restrict a wider spectrum of family configurations headed by same-sex parents.

Author

• Andrew Leland, Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway