Incorporating LGBTQ Issues into Family Courses: Instructor Challenges and Strategies Relative to Perceived Teaching Climate

Abstract

This study investigated the experiences of 42 college/university‐level instructors with regard to incorporating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) content into their family‐oriented courses. Based on how supportive they rated their colleagues, departments, and institutions for their teaching about LGBTQ issues, and how open they deemed their students to learning about such perspectives, participants were categorized as working in one of three teaching climates: the least positive, moderately positive, or the most positive. Notably, the authors found that educators faced resistance from other faculty members in addition to students. Further, most faculty assessed their students as open to learning about LGBTQ issues, yet teaching about transgender and queer issues appeared to be particularly challenging for some. Perceived challenges varied by the teaching climates in which participants reportedly worked. The challenges and strategies shared by participants have implications for both faculty and administrators concerned with creating more inclusive classrooms and departments.

Tracing LGBTQ Community College Students’ Experiences

“…Students and faculty/staff saw a need for culturally responsive curriculum that integrates LGBTQ contributions across course offerings. Kuvalanka, Goldberg, and Oswald () described some of the difficulties that faculty often face in incorporating LGBTQ material into their existing courses, much less in designing new course content, primarily from colleagues who respond with overt hostility or who invalidating by being passively neutral. By challenging the heteronormativity that exist in classrooms and with cocurricular programming, community colleges can improve education for students across sexual orientation and gender.…”

A Systematic Review of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Research Samples in Couple and Family Therapy Journals

“…Nine of these eleven studies sampled individuals with a particular relationship to GLB individuals. That is, three studies examined clinicians' perceptions of GLB individuals or issues (Kozlowski et al,1998;Liszcz & Yarhouse, 2005;Sherry et al, 2005), two examined general attitudes toward male homosexuality (Mosher & O'Grady, 1979;Oldham & Kasser, 1999), three examined characteristics of individuals with GLB family members (Gonzalez, Rostosky, Odom, & Riggle, 2013;Park, Folkman, & Bostrom, 2001;Wainright & Patterson, 2006), and one examined practices of instructors teaching about LGBTQ issues (Kuvalanka, Goldberg, & Oswald, 2013). One study on social support and HIV mentions that the sample is comprised largely of gay men but does not provide statistics on sexual orientation (Kimberly & Serovich, 1996) and another study examined the relationship between same-gender attraction and behavior and premature ejaculation, but did not ask participants to identify their orientation (Jern et al, 2010).…”

Teaching Undergraduates About LGBTQ Identities, Families, and Intersectionality

“…Teaching to these extremes, as well as managing the different affective or emotional reactions to trans issues can be challenging, as scholars have noted (e.g., see Fletcher & Russell, ; Kuvalanka et al, ). One useful strategy is to distribute an anonymous questionnaire that assesses knowledge and attitudes about transgender issues (as well as queer or sexual minority–related topics) at the beginning of the course, as this enables the instructor to assert early on—and throughout the course—that there is diversity within the class with regard to knowledge and views of trans issues.…”

“…Universities, as institutions, and the knowledge produced and taught within them are largely heteronormative (Braun & Clarke, ), where heteronormative refers to the assumption that heterosexuality is the only normal and natural expression of sexuality within society (Oswald, Blume, & Marks, ). Teaching undergraduates about LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) identities and families, as well as intersectionality, is a radical act that serves to decenter heteronormativity (Oswald et al, ) by explicitly centralizing LGBTQ people and topics (Evans, ; Kuvalanka, Goldberg, & Oswald, ). In turn, it has potential to “queer” the curriculum and the institution (Bacon, ).…”

“…expression of sexuality within society (Oswald, Blume, & Marks, 2005). Teaching undergraduates about LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) identities and families, as well as intersectionality, is a radical act that serves to decenter heteronormativity (Oswald et al, 2005) by explicitly centralizing LGBTQ people and topics (Evans, 2000;Kuvalanka, Goldberg, & Oswald, 2013). In turn, it has potential to "queer" the curriculum and the institution (Bacon, 2006).…”