This study found differences between out and closeted lesbian and gay (LG) students in their perceptions of the campus climate and experiences on a Midwestern college campus. Eighty LG students responded to an 87-item survey; 44 were categorized as the "low out" (closeted) group and 36 as the "highly out" group. The study was primarily…

This chapter explores how theory, activism, and practice around sexual orientation and gender identity come together, as viewed through the lens of queer critical postmodernism.

Social movement research suggests that protest is effective because it de-legitimizes existing policies and imposes costs on power holders. The author tests this hypothesis with data on African-American student protest and the creation of departments of African-American Studies. The author finds that nondisruptive protest, such as rallies and…

Although numerous theories have been proffered, to date activist boards are an empirically unexamined force in public higher education governance. Using the concept of institutional entrepreneurship, this case study examines the reciprocal role that board members and staff played in the organizational development of board activism. In the case of…

Critical whole language practice, like any other pedagogy, is enacted within a particular time and place. We present several features of critical whole language practice (as distinguished from two other variants of critical education: critical literacy and critical pedagogy) and illustrate each with examples from one year in one elementary school…

In a period of declining state support for education, we argue S/FL teachers and teacher educators would do well to become oriented to language program preservation and advancement. We discuss three areas such an orientation could take, namely organizing, direct action, and fundraising, so that teachers and students can become more involved in…

In this article, the author talks about a gathering that was marching through the dusty Brazilian streets of Porto Alegre. 200,000 noisy representatives of civil society from the global South, together with dedicated supporters from more privileged countries like UK, travelled across continents to insist that "another kind of world is…

Over the past few years a constellation of social movements and organisations concerned with issues of globalisation and world poverty have exploded onto the world stage. They have mobilised demonstrations, organised mass gatherings and conferences, created e-networks and websites and become major players in international political lobbying and…

Many women, even as they embrace feminist principles, are loath to be labeled "feminists." This study presents a measure of feminist identity that accounts for beliefs and behaviors of self-identified feminists and nonfeminists, and for a third group, egalitarians, who endorse liberal feminist beliefs but reject the feminist label. In a sample of…

Increasingly, public health promotion is about more than influencing individual behavior. Rather, it is equally important to undertake efforts to impact social, environmental, and political factors. Having a clear understanding of the inner workings of the legislative process enhances one's ability to effectively influence policy. It is important…

The costs and benefits associated with participation in conflicts around child sexual abuse are explored. Using qualitative data from interviews with 40 high-profile participants, findings suggest that professionals experience both positive and negative consequences as a result of their involvement. Costs identified include attacks and…

The evolution of queer youth programs from 1966 to 2003 has been influenced by sexual ideologies (essentialism, existential constructivism, critical theory, gay liberation, and queer theory) that shape how groups address membership, participants' roles, understandings of sexual identities, coming-out, and ways of contesting homophobia. Group types…

A few years ago, while interviewing for a tenure-track position at a large, public institution in the Midwest, the author was informed that several faculty members suspected him of being "an activist posing as an academic" because the faculty thought that his research lacked "objectivity." Based on subsequent conversations the author had during…

Youth activism represents a promising synthesis of two broad goals in moral education: the development of moral judgments about the social and political world and the ability to implement one's principles in action. Among working-class and poor youth, such commitments often take place in a context where inequities in resources, opportunities, and…

This article presents the author's reaction to Catherine Marshall and Michael Ward's article on research on social justice and training for leadership. The author read Marshall and Ward's article carefully, making mental notes in preparation for his reaction. In the midst of his reflection about the study, the author suddenly realized that he was…