Cycles of Fear

Abstract

Purpose: The article’s purpose is to highlight a national qualitative study that generated a model for understanding how society’s actions and attitudes affect and inform the lived experiences of lesbian/gay (LG) educational leaders. Research Methods/Approach: Three bodies of literature informed the methods of the study: queer legal theory, critical phenomenology, and poststructural hermeneutics. Seventeen volunteer participants identified as out or closeted LG educational leaders and replied via e-mail (to a safe contact) to a national invitation to participate. To provide anonymity, a virtual laboratory allowed participants to interact anonymously through the use of focus groups, interviews, written responses, and private/public messaging tools. Data analysis was conducted after themes or categories emerged and data was coded and categorized. Findings: The findings culminated in conclusions illustrated in the Cycles of Fear model. First, study participants moved from silence to voice and back again, with varying intensity. Second, participants move beyond oppression was extremely difficult. Third, participants conquered fear and oppression, thereby creating gains. Fourth, experiences of fear were integrated into participants’ very being—their identity. Fifth, as leaders’ strength/visibility increased, society’s homophobic fears created increased intolerance and hostility. Finally, when a new fear cycle began, the leaders became stronger and more resilient. Implications for Research and Practice: The discussions, conclusions, and the model drawn from this study’s findings are instructive for (a) LG educational leaders who have had very little support in their professional and personal lives, (b) leadership preparation programs/professors that/who in the past have ignored this populations’ existence and oppression, (c) policy makers, and (d) further research—the model can serve as a data analysis tool for future studies, and the anonymous research design could be duplicated to lower the risk for LGBT participants.

An Empirical Reflection on Educational Administration Quarterly's Distinctive Contributions to the Field, 1965–2020

“…Scholars operating within this school have focused on how social inequities are enacted in and perpetrated by systems of schooling (Anderson, 1990; Capper, 2015; DeMatthews et al, 2016; Shakeshaft, 1989; Shields, 2004; Theoharis, 2007). Social inequities studied by scholars located within this school include gender (Epp, Sackney & Kustaski, 1994; Shakeshaft, 1989), racial justice (Capper, 2015; DeMatthews et al, 2017; Lopez, 2003), and gender orientation (de Leon & Brunner, 2013). Although the DNA of this school can be traced back many decades (see Murphy et al, 2007; Wang et al, 2017), equity-oriented scholarship in educational administration only evolved into a coherent school of thought during the early 2000s (Anderson & Grinberg, 1998; Capper, 2015; Lopez, 2003; Shields, 2004; Theoharis, 2007).…”

“…Upon further inspection, it was also found that many of the scholars who were added to the Social Justice school in the recent map were qualitative research methodologists (e.g., M. Patton, R. Yin, M. Miles, M. Huberman, J. Crewel, A. Strauss, R. Glaser). This reflects the emerging publication of qualitative studies by Social Justice scholars during the past decade (e.g., de Leon & Brunner, 2013;DeMatthews et al, 2016DeMatthews et al, , 2017Rodela & Rodriguez-Mojica, 2020;Santamaría, 2014).…”

Tales From the Chalkface: Using Narratives to Explore Agency, Resilience, and Identity of Gay Teachers

“…The recognition of same-sex relationships in the United States has increased, though many individuals with LGBTQ+ identities continue to face discrimination (Lineback et al, 2016). Despite this societal tolerance, research has demonstrated that some schools in the US provide discriminatory environments for lesbian and gay individuals and that teaching is one of the most homophobic professions in parts of the US (DeLeon and Brunner, 2013;Lineback et al, 2016). According to DeLeon and Brunner (2013), attempts have even been made to exclude LGBTQ+ teachers from the profession to lessen the risks of sexual abuse, pedophilia, molestation, and the recruitment of children into queer lifestyles (Jackson, 2007;Mayo, 2008;Lineback et al, 2016).…”

Radical Recentering

“…Although there has been significant growth in the number of leadership preparation programs centered on social justice and equity, the majority of programs still address these issues on the periphery—as the responsibility of individual faculty members in a single “diversity” course (Hawley & James, 2010). Because the field has been dominated by notions of leadership as White, male, heterosexual, gender-conforming, and able-bodied (de Leon & Brunner, 2013; Lugg, 2003; Shakeshaft, Brown, Irby, Grogan, & Ballenger, 2007; Young & Brooks, 2008; Young & McLeod, 2001), scholarship containing nondominant conceptions of leadership has been notably absent from preparation programs (see de Leon & Brunner, 2013; Gooden & Dantley, 2012; C. Marshall, 2004; J.…”