LGBTQ Issues in Education

George Wimberly

• Publisher: American Educational Research Association
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9780935302363
• Topic: Sozialwissenschaften
• Subtopic: Genderforschung

LGBTQ Issues in Education: Advancing a Research Agenda examines the current state of the knowledge on LGBTQ issues in education and addresses future research directions. The editor and authors draw on existing literature, theories, and data as they synthesize key areas of research. Readers studying LGBTQ issues or working on adjacent topics will find the book to be an invaluable tool as it sets forth major findings and recommendations for additional research. Equally important, the book brings to light the importance of investing in research and data on a topic of critical educational and social significance.

Chapter 1

Introduction and Overview

GEORGE L. WIMBERLY

In an increasingly diverse society, educators and policy makers face the challenge of fostering educational environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all students and teachers. Schools and teachers must consider whether the educational context facilitates learning for all youth, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer (LGBTQ), or questioning their sexual identity, as well as children of sexual-minority parents. In a pluralistic society, school administrators must also consider whether teachers, aides, or other staff who themselves may identify as LGBTQ are hindered in the workplace because of discriminatory policies, practices, or comments.

The enhanced social status of LGBTQ people and the increased visibility of LGBTQ issues across societal and cultural domains are affecting how we understand schools and educational issues. Changes in family structures and dynamics have led to an increased relevance and awareness of LGBTQ issues in schools or educational contexts. Several states and the District of Columbia have laws permitting same-sex marriage, and many communities recognize same-sex relationships with expanded property rights and legal protections to legitimize these relationships and households. Findings from the 2010 U.S. Census estimate that over 600,000 households are led by same-sex couples, and it is estimated that one quarter of these households are raising children (O’Connell & Feliz, 2011). These changes in family demographics and structure bring LGBTQ issues to the forefront in our nation’s schools.

K–12 schools and colleges have had to respond to the increased visibility of LGBTQ youth and young adults as well as LGBTQ faculty and staff on their campuses. Thus, in a school context there may be children who have LGBTQ parents, students who identify as LGBTQ or engage in same-sex sexual behavior, parents of LGBTQ students, and faculty, staff, school administrators, and other adults in the school context who are directly or indirectly affected by LGBTQ issues and concerns. This opens up a new realm of issues and thinking for the overall population of students, teachers, and others in the school who interact in an LGBTQ context.

The increased visibility of LGBTQ people in schools and in education is changing how we think about school curriculum issues, sexuality, definitions of family, and attitudes toward these issues. It is expanding how we conceptualize, develop, and use education research on LGBTQ issues and topics. School leaders, teachers, parents, and policy makers need information and knowledge to understand the social, psychological, structural, and school climate factors that affect LGBTQ students and others at the individual level (micro level) and to understand how LGBTQ issues affect the school curriculum and structure (macro level). Findings and discussions from scholarly education research can help schools expand to serve all students and become places for learning about and exploring LGBTQ people and their communities.

Recognizing the presence of LGBTQ people and issues in an educational context has been an evolving and dynamic process. For many decades much of the education research on LGBTQ issues related to mental health factors such as youth depression, social isolation, homelessness, and teen suicide (D’Augelli, 2002; D’Augelli, Hershberger, & Pilkington, 2001; Savin-Williams, 2001). Early research studies depict LGBTQ teachers as social deviants or as immoral, arguing that students need to be protected from these educators (Blount, 2005; Graves, 2009). However, an emerging body of literature and education research uses multiple theoretical and conceptual frameworks and conventional research methods to explain and help us understand the LGBTQ experience in our nation’s schools.

Information and findings from education research studies can describe and explain the school experiences of LGBTQ youth and their peer relationships across a broad range of topics such as school/campus climate, parent involvement, student achievement, and other essential elements that affect students in schools. Particularly at the high school level, recent education research is shedding light on some of the challenges that LGBTQ youth face. This research suggests that in comparison with their non-LGBTQ peers, LGBTQ students may be more likely to be victims of bullying and harassment, have lower levels of academic achievement, have less school engagement, suffer emotional distress and social isolation, and experience social and psychological adjustment problems. In some communities local high schools and community organizations are addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth and working within schools to ensure that these students have a safe, vibrant, and rich school experience. However, much of this research is limited to a small number of campuses and communities, resulting in large gaps in knowledge about LGBTQ youth and students, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities, low-income students, and those living in small towns and rural areas.

College and university campuses have been at the forefront of giving voice to the issues and challenges faced by LGBTQ students. Campus organizations provide social support and psychological counseling, and campus advocacy organizations and policies protect LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff. Colleges provide a platform for researchers to study students’ current and past experiences, attitudes toward LGBTQ issues, and perceptions related to education. Beyond the campus experience, colleges and universities are now investing in academic centers and research to increase our knowledge and understanding of LGBTQ people, topics, and communities.

This report seeks to give voice to the research, to expand our understanding of LGBTQ issues, and to foster scientific and scholarly inquiry that draws upon solid theoretical models and methods. It provides a synthesis of what we know from research on LGBTQ issues, considers the key methods used to gather the information, and discusses essential elements for understanding how research can contribute to the overall discovery and knowledge of LGBTQ issues that are affecting students and youth, school faculty and staff, school curriculum and areas of study, and the overall educational experience. Throughout this report the authors review key LGBTQ research, examine areas for future research, consider issues important to advancing scholarship, and offer recommendations for investing in research, data, and training of researchers in this important arena of inquiry.

Background on AERA’s Initiative

This report derives from an initiative of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) undertaken to examine LGBTQ issues in education, the state of the knowledge, and promising directions for future research. The AERA study gathered information on the state of research on LGBTQ issues in education through multiple processes: (a) an extensive literature search and review, (b) a broad-based Call for Ideas to the education research community to invite input and suggestions, and (c) an intensive small research workshop of scholars.

Literature Search

AERA staff initiated an extensive literature search and review through e-mail and the AERA website, calling on the education research community for input and ideas on LGBTQ issues in education. This search produced over 400 entries, which showed the breadth of topics and areas of research examining LGBTQ issues in education. This information was supplemented with other literature collected by AERA staff and a literature list generated by the Queer Studies Special Interest Group (SIG). Throughout the development and preparation of this report, AERA continued to add and update the literature list and organize it in a useful format for researchers, practitioners, and educators. The literature collection in itself is an accessible, important product of the project.

Call for Ideas

The Call for Ideas on Scholarly Knowledge on LGBTQ Issues in Education was posted on the AERA website, disseminated across AERA divisions and relevant SIGs, and distributed widely to other associations, research societies, and organizations in the social sciences and humanities that directly and indirectly link to scholars in relevant research areas. The AERA call asked researchers to provide citations to significant findings and studies, respond to specific questions about the state of knowledge on LGBTQ issues, identify theoretical perspectives, and discuss methodological concerns in this research. This call resulted in about 100 responses, which contributed to identifying the range of germane knowledge and to the development of this report.

Research Workshop

In the fall of 2010 AERA held a Workshop on LGBTQ Issues in Education Research that brought together scholars in education research and other fields to examine LGBTQ research as it relates to education, identify research on LGBTQ issues across a broad perspective, determine gaps in the research, and discuss what future research agendas might address. The goal of the workshop was to bring scholars from multiple disciplines together to provide a state-of-the-art examination of LGBTQ research as it relates to education as a learning environment as well as to the health and well-being of those who study or work in educational settings.

The workshop participants included researchers who study and work with LGBTQ populations or in related areas. These scholars discussed from the vantage of their expertise the state of the knowledge, important issues unstudied or understudied, and promising trajectories for future research. They also addressed methodological and conceptual challenges to the research and developed an illustrative map of promising research directions and discussed potential funding considerations, data needs, and other resource needs important to advancing this work. Research was examined on substantive topics such as LGBTQ issues in the school context, research on educators and school leaders, the family, K–12 schools and schooling issues, international and cultural contexts, and indicators and demographics for LGBTQ populations.

In advance of the workshop, participants each contributed to the literature list through memoranda that focused on salient studies and findings and provided important citations to research. These memoranda highlighted work within participants’ particular research domains and expertise. The memos also served as catalysts for the workshop conversation and helped to emphasize issues addressed in the broad-based call from the education research community. The discussions and memos from the workshop, the literature collection, and the Call for Ideas all contributed to the development of this report.

Use of the Term LGBTQ

The term LGBTQ is often associated with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals and their communities. In this report the authors use the LGBTQ term as a general categorization of the individuals, groups, issues, behaviors, and identities that are discussed. But one finding that emerges from this literature is that gender expression, sexual behavior, attraction, and identity are each separate and distinct domains. Throughout the literature, each component of the term LGBTQ has multiple definitions, has been adopted by some groups and not by others, has changed and evolved overtime, and is deemed appropriate for some situations but unsuitable in others. For example, some women describe themselves as “lesbian” and others prefer the term “gay women” (Moore, 2011). Some people may engage in same-sex sexual behavior, yet reject the label gay or bisexual. The Centers for Disease Control uses the term “men who have sex with men” to capture men who self-identify as straight or heterosexual yet engage in sexual activity with men. Some use the label “queer,” once thought of as derogatory, to associate with queer theory or a queer lifestyle; others designate the “Q” as “questioning.”

Gender expression or transgender issues—the “T” in LGBTQ—remain a somewhat new and understudied area in education research. A few researchers are just beginning to explore and examine the school experiences of those who express their gender outside traditional masculine and feminine roles (Beemyn & Rankin, 2011; Wentling, Schilt, Windsor, & Lucal, 2008). We are just beginning to have some understanding or some limited research on how those who are transgender or who express gender differently experience school, interact in society, and understand their sexuality. A person’s gender expression as female, male, or other expression may be different from their sexual expression. We are just starting to learn about some of the experiences that transgender people have on university campuses, but this research is very limited. Even more limited is the literature on alternate gender expression among children and young adults (Kosciw, Greytak, Bartkiewicz, Boesen, & Palmer, 2012; Kosciw, Greytak, Diaz, & Bartkiewicz, 2010; Kosciw, Greytak, Palmer, & Boesen, 2014). Although many researchers include the “T” in a general description of the population, few actually disaggregate the experiences of this group in any way that is generalizable to a wider population. This opens the door to much-needed future research, particularly in a school or educational context.

Each of the LGBTQ components and definitions can reflect cultural, political, and social agendas that describe specific issues, individuals, and groups but also can be misaligned with the values, beliefs, and attitudes of others who may have similar identity, attraction, gender expression, or same-sex behavior. Thus, there is not a universal term that necessarily captures everyone. The authors in this report choose to use LGBTQ to describe the population in an all-encompassing sense. However, when referencing the literature or when talking about a particular group such as gay or transgender people or those who have same-sex attraction, the authors use the more specific term and limit the use of acronyms.

Theories and Conceptual Frameworks Used to Study LGBTQ Issues

Theory provides a lens to frame an issue or argument, define key concepts, and ultimately make sense of research findings and results. Scholars of LGBTQ issues in education draw upon the concepts and tenets of multiple theoretical perspectives to develop research questions that address behaviors, individual identity (or identities), group interactions, cultural factors, and the social landscapes that shape LGBTQ issues in an educational context. Some of the studies in this report represent several theoretical perspectives and show how they are applied to education research issues that affect the LGBTQ community. Among the theoretical lenses used to examine LGBTQ topics are heteronormative perspectives, which frame research in terms of the traditional male-female relationship; queer theory, which seeks to dismantle categorical notions; and intersectionality, which brings in different elements of multiple frameworks.

The next section offers further explanation of theoretical models to help the reader understand the research presented and discussed throughout this report. Each of the theories discussed is much more complex and broad than as presented here. Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the theories themselves should consult the cited literature. Following this review of theory, we then discuss some of the research methods that scholars and researchers use to collect information and analyze data on LGBTQ issues.

The Heteronormative Theoretical Perspective

Much of the education research on LGBTQ issues is framed using a heteronormative theoretical perspective. This research starts with the notion that traditional male-female relationships are the norm or standard that shapes and dominates social institutions such as the family, politics, religion, public health, and education (Mayo, 2007; Renn, 2010). This pers...