Coming Out of the Classroom Closet

Book excerpt: This landmark book empowers educators to become visible, positive influences and role models for gay and lesbian students in their classrooms and schools. As most homosexual educators, and even students, remain invisible due to possible hostilities of “coming out,” this eye-opening book presents recent research to help gay and lesbian teachers break their silence. It encourages them to speak out on issues of homosexuality where curricula, civil rights, personal freedoms, and social entitlements are concerned. It promotes the development of school-based intervention for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. While the controversy over education and homosexuality is one of the most personally threatening in this nation’s history, the timely research presented in Coming Out of the Classroom Closet will hearten gay and lesbian educators to continue to strive for fair treatment as peers and for equal representation in educational materials. Pointing to reports of greater social support and legal protection than is assumed by most in the educational system, this book should be required reading for all persons concerned about continuing to provide high-quality education at all levels--college and university, secondary, and even elementary. Chapters of Coming Out of the Classroom Closet look closely at many issues surrounding the issue of homosexuality in schools, including a history of treatment of gay and lesbian educators and their legal rights; effects of internalized homophobia on homosexual educators; gay and lesbian student’s perceptions of their counselors and teachers ability to understand and help; beliefs, lack of knowledge, and lack of training of counselors and teachers about the needs of gay and lesbian youth; images of gays and lesbians in sexuality and health textbooks; important AIDS education; and the issue of homophobia.