Doing Family Differently in School-to-Home Relationships: Gay Fathers at the Schoolhouse Door

• In Event: Moving Beyond the Usual Conversations in Leadership Preparation

Abstract

This qualitative, phenomenological study helps to account for a population of parents—gay fathers—that has been underexplored in research and may be overshadowed in leadership preparation programs. Data consisted of artifacts, as well as two, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 22 gay-fathered households living in one of two different community types: gay-friendly areas, or those known for LGBTQ inclusion and protection, and intolerant towns, or those with little-to-no evidence of inclusion and protection. Findings show that all fathers came out, or had disclosed their sexual orientation to school personnel—particularly in gay-friendly areas. Nevertheless, their experiences also indicate that assumptions of heterosexuality persisted in both gay-friendly and intolerant areas to some extent.

Author

• Andrew Leland, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville