Homophobia is an incredible problem within educational settings. Therefore, we must begin examining how we can address the challenge in an effective manner. Researchers postulate professional development (PD) discussing homophobia is an appropriate method to address the problem. To date, there is little published literature that discusses how a PD…

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore how preservice social work and teacher education majors navigate field practicums (e.g., student teaching) as self-identified gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) individuals. In-depth interviews with 26 preservice candidates, representative of two public, comprehensive…

This paper explores how the ideology of compulsory able-bodiness functions in special education. The apparatus of special education, this paper contends, applies a bureaucratic gaze to students from historically oppressed groups (e.g. students of color and working class students) and, finding them deficient, interpellates them as disabled. They…

Teacher education is plagued by challenges pertaining to preservice teachers' attitudes toward diversity issues and the impact that these attitudes can have on instructional practices and teacher-student relationships. This study measured preservice teacher attitudes toward gender, race, and GLBTQ issues over the course of a semester, at a…

Several unearned benefits attending straight privilege are listed, prefaced by two main arguments. First, it is argued that the rampant heterosexism in the U.S. is largely attributable to many Americans' framing of heterosexism as a matter of religious freedom rather than as a form of bigotry. It is further argued that educators' elimination of…

School Boards desiring to avoid the requirements of the Equal Access Act (EAA) to prevent students from organizing Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs within their schools may have difficulty doing so. However, legal experts have recently purported ways to accomplish this task in order to avoid the problems that may arise when students attempt to…

Sixteen scholarly papers and twenty abstracts comprise the content of the eighteenth annual Brick & Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the conference, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship.…

This presentation is premised on a research study that was conducted with a group of secondary teachers. The study examined how teachers grappled with issues surrounding homophobia and heterosexism in their schools. For the purpose of this presentation, some of the findings from this study have been applied to the college campus. Specifically, the…

This paper explores the possibility of fashioning a queer methodology for educational research through analysis of three research studies. It begins with the question of queer visibility, asking about the ethics and utility of remaining closeted vs. disclosing one's identity. It then explores the question of researcher subjectivity and of putting…

Literature about the school experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth report unsafe and unaccepting school environments detrimental to their social, emotional, and academic success. LGBTQ bullying is recognized as a complex issue that teachers are expected to face in their schools. The present study examined…

As educators, we strive to provide a safe and accepting environment for our students in which to learn. We want our students to feel comfortable so their academic and social success is not hindered. However, as far as we have come in this pursuit, there is still room for growth as there are students who still long for their guarantee of feeling…

Eighteen scholarly papers and fifteen abstracts comprise the content of the seventeenth annual Brick and Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of librarianship.…

We discuss how economic theory has analyzed the effects of being GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender). We find that economics has focused on finding earnings differentials between GLBT and heterosexuals. The issue is, however, whether the standard analytical techniques available in economics, can be applied to sexual minorities. A number…

The authors conducted an ethnography of a university queer cultural center's role on campus and in the surrounding community. The dataset included participant observation, in-depth interviews, and artifacts. The authors present a review of LGBTQA [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, ally, and questioning] issues in higher education, heterosexual…

The authors extend the ideals set forth by the universal design (UD) framework seeking to include the unique needs of students in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Universal design is a philosophy that, when applied to higher education, constitutes acceptance of, equal access for, and equal opportunities for…