Social Justice Research Within the Appalachian Higher Education LGBTQ Community

U.S. college campuses are becoming more diverse regarding color, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Much of the past research has focused on the multitude of struggles and hurdles Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBTQ) students face. This review of the research has shown what these minority students face daily and are beneficial in understanding the cultural impacts on the growth and development of LGBTQ students. Additional research is needed to further consider the effects of higher education facilities for students and educators. Extensive research concerning LGBTQ students' treatment in rural areas is needed, specifically for Appalachian LGBTQ students, as many gaps still require research to solve various issues.

Instructional Design, Educational Technology, and LGBTQ Students

As diversity and social justice have become more important in education, educators are beginning to realize that their lessons, both real and virtual, need to be more inclusive. More specifically, this chapter addresses the culture, learning, and relationship with technology of a specific subset of students: individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) or who have LGBTQ parents, guardians, friends, and/or family. Suggestions for educators on inclusive strategies when integrating technology into lessons through digital activities and various educational technology tools, as well as inclusive instructional design suggestions, are included. As for the question addressed in the title, none is the answer because all three of these things belong together in all forms of education, in all types of schools, and by all types of educators.

Sounds of Silence

This chapter juxtaposes the efforts of the authors to bring an LGBTQ+ text, Love is Love (2017), into their curriculum through a literature circle versus the hostile response of a district's administrators censoring its use in the classroom. The first section of this chapter provides a review of literature to encourage the use of diverse texts in the curriculum in support of this vulnerable population and is followed by a theoretical framework for analyzing and including LGBTQ+ texts in curriculum. The next section describes the events that occurred that led to the censorship of the literature circle and the eventual banning of the LGBTQ+ text. This section ends with a resource list to support teachers who advocate for diverse texts. The final section connects the events at the school with an analysis that demonstrates the efforts to silence the voices of LGBTQ+ students and their advocates. This case provides patterns of oppression in the hopes of naming and ending these practices and offering solidarity to others who may have these experiences.

“I Didn’t Think I’d Be Supported”: LGBTQ Students’ Non-Reporting of Bias Incidents at Southeastern Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities are complex spaces of both LGBTQ+ liberation and oppression. College students experience LGBTQ+ bias-motivated incidents of harassment, assault, or other violence. Previous researchers have found that these incidents are severely under-reported, which may be related to a range of factors, including campus policies, campus climates, and administrator incompetence. These campus characteristics are upheld through systems of anti-LGBTQ+ surveillance and oppression, including compulsory heterogenderism, which normalize anti-LGBTQ+ violence. In this study, we used a survey of 143 LGBTQ+ college students in the Southeastern U.S. to examine their experiences of violence on campus. Using queer theory, we analyzed student responses about bias-motivated incidents and whether they chose to report the incidents to campus or legal authorities via convergent mixed methods. In this analysis, LGBTQ+ students' decisions to report a bias incident are moderated by considerations of the significance of the incidents, unclear and prohibitive reporting options, and the risks associated with reporting. Additionally, students regularly minimized the seriousness of violence against themselves even when describing incidents that commonly meet college and university definitions of harassment and/or assault. This study shows LGBTQ+ students' experiences of bias-motivated violence and (non)reporting are complex and affected by many facets of college life. Therefore, colleges and universities looking to address violence on campus need to improve not only policy but also communication and other efforts that demonstrate students experiencing violence will be heard, supported, and affirmed.

“Their Own Personal Unicorn”: The Workplace Experiences of Transgender Teachers

Multiple studies have shown that transgender individuals routinely face increased levels of hostility and discrimination in the workplace compared to their cisgender peers; this is also true for transgender educators, who are often marginalized or silenced for expressing their gender diversity. Exploring the experiences of transgender teachers can provide much-needed information for school and district leaders seeking to support and affirm transgender individuals as valued members of the school community. The workplace experiences of six transgender educators in various teaching roles were examined in this qualitative study. The researchers utilized semistructured interviews to explore participants’ professional lives, focusing on factors that affected decisions to reveal or conceal their gender identities, the climate of the schools in which they worked, and their support for LGBTQ students. Findings suggest that while support for LGBTQ teachers is growing, heteronormativity persists in troubling ways, particularly for transgender educators. Implications of these findings for school and district leaders are discussed.

Whiteness and the Rainbow: White LGBTQ+ College Students’ Racial Identity Development

LGBTQ+ communities and spaces on college campuses are often known as white-centered spaces, implicitly or explicitly excluding students of color. While White LGBTQ+ students may experience marginalization and exclusion on the basis of their sexual orientations and/or gender identities, they may unwittingly perpetuate oppression on the basis of race. Utilizing Helms’ (1990) white racial identity development model, this study explored how White LGBTQ+ college students understand their racial identity and white privilege. The sample of 12 White LGBTQ+ college students was drawn from a larger four-year longitudinal qualitative study of LGBTQ+ college student success. In early interviews, students either did not discuss their white racial identity or did not view their white racial identity as a salient aspect of their identity. However, students increasingly spoke about their white identities, race, and racism in later interviews. Interpersonal experiences, academic engagement, and national events provided access points for White LGBTQ+ students to talk about race and their white identities. Implications for research and practice with White LGBTQ+ college students and in LGBTQ+ campus spaces are discussed.

Lived Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Adolescents on their Way to Achieving Self-actualization: Basis for the Development of U-Bahaghari: A University-Based LGBT Advocacy Program

As part of the marginalized and minority group, members of the LGBTQ++ community have a lot of different experiences compared to heterosexual males and females. Being in the stage of identity formation, adolescent gays and lesbians have conflicting and complicated experiences. Their motivation to achieve self-actualization is affected by societal expectations and peer influences. This study aimed to explore how adolescent gays and lesbians try to achieve self-actualization and how the school environment could assist them since they spend most of their time inside the walls of educational institutions. This is done by using thematic analysis. The results indicate that self-worth, gender, coming-out, and motivation are the dominant themes related to the self-actualization of gay and lesbian adolescents. The results also indicated that an inclusive campus climate could promote self-actualization. The role of peers, family members, and the school community is very important in the process. A program that includes a proposed school policy for members of the LGBTQ++ community had been developed in response to the results of the current study. It is recommended that schools should take into consideration the LGBTQ++ students in formulating policies for the entire student body. Schools should also promote the creation of groups and facilitation of activities for LGBTQ++ students.