Incorporating Issues of Sexual Orientation in the Classroom: Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

Family studies faculty have an opportunity and a responsibility to address issues related to the development and family lives of sexual minority individuals in graduate and undergraduate courses. This article identifies and discusses 6 challenges involving the incorporation of sexual orientation issues into the classroom: lack of student exposure to accurate information about sexual orientation, selecting a lecture topic, attitudes of intolerance among students, avoiding generalizations, making the topic of sexual orientation relevant to the lives of students, and instructor comfort level concerning the topic of sexual orientation.

‘Out’ gay and lesbian faculty and the inclusion of sexual orientation topics in teacher preparation programmes in the USA

“…Likewise, the presence of out faculty was not associated with the relative emphasis on sexual orientation topics in programmes (compared to other forms of diversity) nor significantly related to coordinators' personal perceptions that sexual orientation is associated with youth risk. Also, coordinators from programmes having out faculty perceived no greater or lesser challenge to including sexual orientation as a result of faculty ignorance, disinterest, or discomfort around sexual orientation topics (Fletcher and Russell, 2001). These findings are informative and perhaps confute those who might have felt confident that the mere presence of out gay and lesbian faculty guaranteed a more inclusive curriculum.…”

Resilience in LGB Youths: A Systematic Review of Protection Mechanisms

“…The interventions should gain systemic characteristics, with political, school, family and individual actions suitable to the context and specific developmental characteristics. In that sense, it is important to adopt strategies that promote a safe school context for the LGB youth (Fletcher & Russell, 2001).…”

Avenue T: using film asentréein teaching about transgender

“…A number of studies document successful strategies for the inclusion of sexual orientation into the curriculum of college and university classes (Espelage and Swearer 2008;Fletcher and Russell 2001;Noland et al 2009;Rogers, McRee, and Arntz 2009;Walters and Phillips 1994). In some circumstances, curricula that address the dimensionality of sexual orientation also purport to address -concurrently -course content relevant to the concept of transgender.…”