Harmony Hammond, known both nationally and internationally, is a contemporary lesbian artist from New Mexico who has lectured and published extensively on feminist art, lesbian art, and the cultural representation of "difference." "Radiant Affection" is representative of Hammond's organic work from the early 1980s that makes present the gendered…

This article chronicles the formation and organization of the Safe Schools Coalition (SCC) through the experiences of Beth Reis, co-founder and co-Chair. The article suggests ways in which the SCC can serve as a model for both collective and individual work in promoting safe schools.

Several scholars have lauded gender crossing as one pathway for tearing down hierarchies of gender and sexuality. Central but often under-examined in their discussions is understanding the skill and persistence of childhood gender nonconformists. In examining some of these skills, this article investigates their relationship to specific social…

This study develops a model for sexual orientation education at a religiously affiliated university that both respects the university's mission and promotes respect for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals. This model fosters the ethical school as described by Robert Starratt, embracing diversity, promoting justice and caring, and…

This article offers a theory of identity that explicates how biological, experiential, and contextual influences contribute to the ongoing development of the human sense of self--what I describe as an ecological understanding of identity. My primary goal in developing this argument is not so much to create certainty about what it means to occupy a…

Mammen is one of the most versatile and unusual artists of her time. She was born Gertrud Johanna Mammen on November 21, 1890 in Berlin, Germany. During the 1920s and 1930s, Mammen created vivid depictions of life in the booming metropolis of Berlin. She portrayed people of all walks of life, but her focus was on the "New Woman" in the…

In this article, the author wants to suggest a new way of approaching the topic of sexuality within the secondary and/or tertiary classroom and offer an example of a teaching resource that might help facilitate this shift. He introduces "Bouncing Castle: Keeping Families Together," a movie directed and produced by Chris Castro and produced by…

Historically, schooling has been a point of contention and restless agitation for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in North America who may feel trapped in prisons of invisibility. Traditionally, queer people's existence in educational settings has been denied or made invisible, not just physically (in school…

Interpretive methodology is used to study the experiences of gay and lesbian K-12 Caucasian educators in California who consider themselves "out" within the classrooms in which they teach. Three main research questions framed this study: What are the lived experiences of out gay and lesbian K-12 educators? What are the interconnections…

This essay explores the physical, emotional, and spiritual manifestations of heterosexism in childhood education. While there is abundant children's literature dealing with gay and lesbian parents of presumably straight children, little exists in this literature that directly addresses a child's developing gay, lesbian, or bisexual orientations.…

How do writing teachers use technology to help students learn about lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) issues? What is the nature of writing students' learning about LGB sexual orientations and academic writing when the Internet is used as a learning tool? Participants completed a questionnaire in which they reflected on a writing assignment…

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Spellings admonished PBS for having produced an episode of "Postcards from Buster" because it included children with lesbian parents. A college professor describes how this incident and children's literature was a learning opportunity for future teachers.

Work in the fields of gay and lesbian studies and queer theory has for the most part moved well beyond biologically essentialist notions of sexualities and their attendant manifestations, behaviors, and enactments. While not denying that biology plays some role in one's sexual development and sexuality, this work is careful to insist that this…

Educators concerned with diversity, equity, and human rights in schools share their personal and professional narratives as impetus for developing suggestions and strategies designed to help teachers, students, and administrators deepen their understandings of gender identity educational issues in an effort to support transitioning teachers in…

"The Laramie Project" is a play based on a collection of interviews with the community members of Laramie, Wyoming, where Mathew Shepard, a 21-year-old university student, was murdered. The idea for the play originated with a theatre group, The Tectonic Theater Project, which devoted 2 years to this project, conducting over 200 interviews. This…