Teaching Undergraduates About LGBTQ Identities, Families, and Intersectionality
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Abbie E. Goldberg Clark University Katherine R. Allen Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Teaching Undergraduates About LGBTQ Identities, Families, and Intersectionality Teaching undergraduate students about LGBTQ expression of sexuality within society (Oswald, identities and family issues presents several Blume, & Marks, 2005). Teaching undergrad- challenges, or “opportunities,” which we uates about LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, address within personal, ecological, and his- transgender, and queer) identities and families, torical contexts. We begin by articulating our as well as intersectionality, is a radical act that positionality as scholars and instructors, and serves to decenter heteronormativity (Oswald the feminist intersectional and queer lens et al., 2005) by explicitly centralizing LGBTQ that guides our research and pedagogy. We people and topics (Evans, 2000; Kuvalanka, organize our presentation of contemporary Goldberg, & Oswald, 2013). In turn, it has teaching opportunities around three primary potential to “queer” the curriculum and the and interrelated topics: (a) teaching about institution (Bacon, 2006). Further, teaching LGBTQ issues with attention to intersection- undergraduates about LGBTQ individuals and ality as a conceptual framework, (b) teaching their families specifically allows instructors to about sexual orientation diversity and fluidity, honor the range of sexual and gender identities and (c) teaching about gender diversity and that exist in the classroom and beyond. Such transgender identities. We incorporate sugges- inclusive teaching normalizes, validates, and tions for educational practice throughout and provides support for LGBTQ students and recommend that instructors continually revise students with LGBTQ family members who their teaching practices to reflect the changing typically do not see their life histories or expe- technological and social landscape, thus max- riences reflected in course content. Treating imizing opportunities for student engagement LGBTQ identities and families as a content area and learning. worthy of exploration may even help change the campus climate for LGBTQ students, faculty, Universities, as institutions, and the knowledge and staff, who often are exposed to mistreatment produced and taught within them are largely (Dozier, 2015; Rankin, Weber, Blumenfeld, & heteronormative (Braun & Clarke, 2009), where Frazer, 2010; Yost & Gilmore, 2011). heteronormative refers to the assumption that Classes and coursework on LGBTQ identi- heterosexuality is the only normal and natural ties and families are equally important for het- erosexual and cisgender (i.e., not LGBQ and trans) students, as they help cultivate awareness Department of Psychology, Clark University, 950 Main St., and acceptance. Often, this enables these stu- Worcester, MA 01610 ([email protected]). dents to more honestly and effectively relate Key Words: Families, feminist intersectional theory, LGBTQ, to, work with, and interact with individuals of queer theory, teaching, transgender. diverse backgrounds and identities, including Family Relations (2017) 1 DOI:10.1111/fare.12224 2 Family Relations sexual and gender identities. Many heterosex- are open to, and discussions that are likely ual students who take courses in family science, to ensue. human development, psychology, sociology, and In this article we address several con- related disciplines go on to seek employment temporary challenges—framed here as in counseling, social services, education, and opportunities—in teaching about LGBTQ related fields (National Council on Family Rela- identities and family issues, which we situate tions, n.d.). In turn, knowledge of LGBTQ lives within personal, ecological, and historical con- in the context of families, and of how their iden- texts. We begin by providing some background tities intersect with other identities, such as racial information about us, the two authors, as a identities, is likely to be valuable in the ser- means of providing context for our particular vice professions (Blumer, Ansara, & Watson, vantage point and teaching approaches. We 2013; LaMantia, Wagner, & Bohecker, 2015). It then describe our feminist intersectional and is essential that course content on LGBTQ issues queer lens more broadly, which informs our be integrated into “mainstream” courses—such scholarship and teaching. Next, we discuss as those on human development and family three interrelated teaching opportunities, pro- policy—and not just specialized courses on top- viding suggestions and implications for practice ics such as human sexuality, which may tend to throughout. Namely, we discuss teaching about draw students who are comfortable with, or open LGBTQ issues with attention to intersectional- to, topics related to sexual and gender diversity ity as a conceptual framework, teaching about (Rothblum, 2012). sexual orientation diversity and fluidity, and Teaching about LGBTQ individuals and their teaching about gender diversity and transgender families today is, in some ways, easier than it identities. We conclude by reflecting on the has been in previous decades, given relatively importance of continually revising pedagogical rapid and recent changes in societal attitudes practice to meet the needs of our students and toward sexual and gender diversity. Students curricula. Indeed, given the pervasive role of today are growing up at a time when acceptance technology in shaping students’ ideas about, of same-sex relationships, same-sex marriage, identification with, and embodiment of sexual- and adoption by LGBQ people are at an all-time ities, it is necessary that we regularly integrate high. For example, about 73% of millennials new sources of knowledge into our teaching. In (i.e., persons born between about 1982 and our writing, we draw on our personal experi- 2004; Bump, 2014) favor same-sex marriage ences as feminist scholars teaching classes on (Pew Research Center, 2015). At the same time, human sexuality, families of LGBTQ individ- acceptance of these rights is far from universal; uals, sexual orientation, and related topics, as there is considerable variation in approval for well as the literature on teaching about these same-sex marriage, for example, by religion, issues and our own research. education level, race/ethnicity, and geographic region (Lipka, 2014; Pew Research Center, 2015). In part, given growing social acceptance Situating Ourselves: Personal as well as the many Internet resources that Commitments and Experiences allow youth to explore their sexual orienta- From a feminist perspective—upon which we tion and gender identity (e.g., support groups, later elaborate—reflexivity and openness about YouTube videos, video blogs; Raun, 2015), at one’s positionality is an inextricable aspect of increasingly younger ages youth are showing theory, research, and practice (Allen, 2000). The awareness of sexual identity (Floyd & Bake- perspective of the person who is making various man, 2006) and coming out (Russell, Toomey, truth claims should come under self-conscious Ryan, & Diaz, 2014), at least online (Bond, and critical scrutiny (Freire, 1970/1997; hooks, Hefner, & Drogos, 2009; Raun, 2015). In turn, 1994) to move beyond the objectivist aim of “out” LGBTQ students on college campuses are sanitizing research reports and the obscuring of increasingly present and visible (Renn, 2010). diversity and difference in families (Allen, 2000; Such visibility has implications for the experi- Stanley, 1990). As we detail here, we are passio- ences of these students—and their heterosexual nately engaged in studying and teaching about and cisgender counterparts—in the classroom LGBTQ individuals and their families, yet our and beyond, including the types of inquiry they approach to this work necessarily is shaped by are willing to engage in, content areas they personal, generational, and institutional factors. Teaching Undergraduates About LGBTQ 3 Abbie Goldberg: Standpoint and Background and transphobic violence, and ongoing political I am an associate professor of psychology at challenges to legal advancements (e.g., in the Clark University, a private, selective liberal arts form of efforts to repeal LGBTQ-affirming research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. legislation), provide strong evidence that the Student enrollment is about 3,500 (1,100 grad- fight for LGBTQ rights—and thus, the need for uate students, 2,400 undergraduate students). continued research that can inform this fight—is Among undergraduates, 58% are female; 89% far from over. of students receive some financial aid; 20% of Further, while LGB identities and same-sex students are Asian American, Latino, African relationships are met with increasing accep- American, and/or Native American; and 15% tance in mainstream society in general, and are international students. Psychology is one of in the college setting specifically, trans and Clark’s “flagship” doctoral programs. Clark’s gender-nonconforming (GNC) identities con- motto is “Challenge Convention. Change Our tinue to elicit much lower levels of understand- World,” and the university is “committed to ing or empathy (Norton & Herek, 2013). Here, scholarship and inquiry that addresses social and we use trans as an inclusive term reflecting the human imperatives on a global basis” (from the many variations of transgender identities. How- university’s website, http://www.clarku.edu). ever, we acknowledge the debate around ter- I teach undergraduate and graduate courses