Being who I am: Lesbian, gay male, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) college and university faculty members disclosing their sexual orientation in their classrooms

Academic freedom facilitates the safety and respect necessary for higher education to accomplish its mission of advancing knowledge and contributing to greater societal good, yet for some faculty, exercising this right of free speech involves a perplexing decision that carries with it daunting consequences. Predicated on widespread heterosexism, lesbian, gay male, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) faculty members face the dilemma of whether or not to be open about their sexual identity to students in their classrooms. With heterosexist norms keeping some LGBQ faculty members in the classroom closet, a plethora of positive outcomes found to accompany the disclosure fail to materialize. The result is a continuous loop of oppression, and one that is counter to the mission of the academy.;Qualitative research methods involving semi-structured interviews with 13 LGBQ faculty members in social science disciplines were employed to capture the essence of the experience of LGBQ faculty members disclosing their sexual orientation to students in their classrooms. This essence was captured along the three domains of professional/institutional, personal, and student/pedagogical/societal. Overlaying a critical pedagogy lens enabled analysis of their experiences in terms of its interplay with broader societal structures.;Broadly encapsulating the detailed findings and conclusions is that LGBQ faculty members experience disclosing their sexual orientation to students in their classrooms as beneficial in terms of pedagogy, students, and society, and that the experience entails both positive and negative personal and professional consequences. As well, LGBQ faculty members do not necessarily think of the experience as "disclosing their sexual orientation" or "coming out" in the classroom, but rather it is viewed as "being who I am" in terms of presenting an authentic self to students.;Along with building upon the body of research for a clearly under-studied topic, this study informs higher education practice. Academic administrators and ally faculty gain an in-depth understanding which can be utilized in their efforts to foster equitable academic communities and achieve optimal educational outcomes, and LGBQ faculty have a resource for decision making and benchmarking regarding their personal coming out in the classroom decisions and/or experiences.