Leading from the closet: Toward a new theory of educational leadership

Although progress has been made in the name of queer rights over the past few years, heterosexism and homophobia still pervade public schools. According to a report of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (2011), in 2010, 81.9% of queer students were verbally harassed, 38.3% were physically harassed and 18.3% were physically assaulted at school because of their sexual orientation.;The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of queer educational leaders with the aim of developing a queer theory of educational leadership. This qualitative study sought to answer the following questions: What are the experiences of queer leaders? How has their sexuality mediated their leadership practices? and What do their experiences suggest for a queer theory of leadership practice?;Using snowball sampling, I located 15 participants and conducted semi- structured, two-part interviews with each of them. The data gathered from the interviews was analyzed using both narrative analysis and grounded theory approaches (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Strauss & Corbin, 1998).;Narrative analysis provided a window into the diversity of experiences among my participants, while grounded theory led to the development of a model of queer leadership. This model illustrates how queer leaders lead from the closet (Sedgwick, 1990; Silin, 1995), which is both a function of, and subject to, the heterosexual matrix (Butler, 1990). However, while most theorists have written about the closet as a repressive structure (Sedgwick, 1990; Silin, 1995), the experiences of these leaders illustrate that the closet provides the necessary protection in order for them to subvert the cycle of discrimination, fear, isolation and regret produced by dominant discourses (Foucault, 1980). This subversion, or leading for social justice, involved advocating for diverse students, serving as a queer educational resource, passing inclusive policies and programs and representing a queer role model for students.;To address this enduring homophobia, educational leaders must take the initiative to bring about changes that will make the culture of schools more inclusive. Research suggests that queer and other minority leaders are more likely to advocate for these social justice changes due to their heightened sensitivity to issues of advocacy (Denton, 2009; Fraynd & Capper, 2003; Tooms, 2007). Yet, educators who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (queer) are often stymied in this kind of social justice work for fear of losing their jobs. Further, despite their potential for enacting social justice, there is a paucity of research on queer leaders and no leadership theory inclusive enough to consider the perspectives of queers.;This study not only gives voice to a marginalized population but also suggests that leadership preparation programs must more explicitly address queer issues. Networks of support for queer leaders that cross district and regional boundaries are also needed if educational leaders are to be able to challenge the heterosexism and homophobia that dominates schools.