| Much of the research on gay and lesbian educators suggests that disclosing one's sexuality positively informs pedagogical approaches. Teachers who disclose reportedly feel more authentic and empowered while also serving as positive role models for students in general and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youth in particular. However, this hegemonic discourse often ignores people of color, especially Black teachers and the added pressure people's racial background can have on the disclosure process, especially in an educational environment or in the community in which they belong.In an effort to present a counternarrative, this qualitative study used a narrative inquiry approach to explore the lived experiences of a self-identified Black lesbian educator and how the intersection of race and sexuality informed her pedagogy in a large urban school district in the Midwestern part of the United States. Critical Race Theory and Black feminist thought were used as the theoretical frameworks during the analysis phase of this investigation.The findings that described how her lived experiences informed her pedagogy revealed three major themes: (a) ethic of care, (b) culturally relevant teaching (CRT), and (c) silence as homophobia. The participant chose not to disclose her sexuality at work iii even so, the results indicated a strong commitment towards students' academic, social and emotional safety in school and beyond, especially GLBT youth.The findings for how the intersection of race and sexuality informed her pedagogy revealed three major themes: (a) relevance of race, (b) the relevance of sexuality, and (c) fear of parents' reactions. However, there was no indication of a clear intersection. Instead, the data revealed that each identity paralleled the other, creating a serpentine motion that kept these two identities apart. As a result, it was concluded that each identity informed pedagogy at different times, but never simultaneously. This allowed the participant to enact her own agency on behalf of all students, as opposed to GLBT youth only. As reported by the participant, the serpentine motion of the two identities made "those academic things easier to teach."... |
