Out of the Classroom Closet

Some gay and lesbian teachers hide their sexual orientation even in schools protected by policy and legislation. Duane Lecky describes how he used print and electronic media to recruit urban, rural, Muslim, Catholic, closeted, and politically active gay and lesbian teachers to tell their stories. Through narrative inquiry, the participants describe the effect of policy and legislation on their lives. They would rather not stay in their closets, but they need to know that they are safe being out. The great silence with respect to gays and lesbians in the workforce, paired with a history of negative messages, needs to be offset by the frequent and ubiquitous dissemination of positive messages.