In an experimental writing course we taught at a northeastern state university, we explored "queer" and "writing," hoping to discover what students could create by merging these terms. How might queer theory help students use writing to reimagine and rearticulate various identity categories in ways that allowed them to reconfigure the mental map…

Based on a broader qualitative study of organizational level changes in schools participating in Massachusetts' Safe Schools Program, the authors describe four roles that GSAs played in the twenty-two schools: counseling and support; "safe" space; primary vehicle for raising awareness, increasing visibility, and educating about LGBT…

Gender theories provide a critical framework for considerations of heterosexual identity. Patriarchal power rests on the social meanings given to biological sex differences and to their reproduction as societal discourses regarding what it means to be a woman or a man. This is a crucial point and one that we believe is not fully recognized in the…

The purpose of this article is to introduce a model of adult heterosexual identity that may be useful in conceptualizing heterosexual therapists' barriers to and facilitators of effective practice with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LBG) clients. This model incorporates concepts from theories of identity development, social identity, and attitude…

"Rethinking Early Childhood Education" is alive with the conviction that teaching young children involves values and vision. This anthology collects inspiring stories about social justice teaching with young children. Included here is outstanding writing from childcare teachers, early-grade public school teachers, scholars, and parents.…

Written by a prominent array of scholars and practitioners, this book elucidates the complexities, contradictions, and confusion surrounding adolescence in American culture and education. For too long, harmful public myths and lies have portrayed teenagers as a principal cause of our nation's social ills. Similar unfair charges have been lodged…

Child welfare personnel repeatedly move a lesbian youth from one inappropriate placement to another, subjecting her to constant rejection and discrimination and depriving her of a permanent home or family; Detention facility staff place a gay youth in isolation "for his own protection," depriving him of education, recreation, companionship, or…

This book for young readers explains what discrimination is and explores different types of discrimination and how they have developed over the years. Laws that make it more difficult to discriminate against others are described, and the struggle for human rights is outlined. Discrimination means acting unfavorably toward someone based on the…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the results of tenure and legal protection on lesbian, gay male, and bisexual public school teachers. Specifically, it describes the effect of tenure, state laws, inclusive contracts, and local ordinances on the openness and public identities of gay teachers. A total of 904 out of 1,400…

As part of a series of lesson plans compiled by Phi Alpha Delta, this collection presents a lesson plan on current issues for each month of the school year. Intended for high school and middle school with adaptations for elementary school, the lessons cover the Americans with Disabilities Act in relation to accommodations for students with…

This is primarily a collection of abstracts for training workshops for professionals in the field of multicultural education. The abstracts are: (1) "An Exploration of the Unspoken: A Group Relations Approach to Multicultural Dialogue" (Zachary G. Green); (2) "Exploring Our Cultural Assumptions" (Daniel Rivera); (3)…

The Newspapers section of the proceedings contains the following 11 papers: "News Items in the 'Shrinking Foreign Newshole': The Case of the New York Times" (Daniel Riffe and others); "Newspaper Coverage of Gays and Lesbians: Editors' Views of Its Longterm Effects" (Marilyn Greenwald and Joseph Bernt); "Effects of Staff…

Fear of controversy, cultural taboos, and fear of homosexuality have prevented many educators from dealing effectively with gay and lesbian young people. The climate in most schools is such that gay teens rarely are willing to expose themselves to the ridicule, harassment, and abuse that comes when they openly acknowledge their sexual orientation.…

The Mass Media section of the proceedings of this conference of journalism historians contains the following 10 papers: "Broadcast News, Cable TV and the Telcos: A Historical Examination of the Rhetorical Forces Affecting the Electronic Distribution of Information to the American Television Public" (John E. Craft and Frances R. Matera);…

A report on 1990 hate crimes in Los Angeles County (California) found 275 racially motivated hate crimes, 150 religiously motivated hate crimes, and 125 sexual orientation hate crimes. The data were collected primarily from law enforcement and community agencies. Of the racially motivated crimes, most were aimed at Blacks, followed by Asians. Jews…