This study examines the classroom practice(s) of seven gay male teachers from four school districts within a large southeastern state. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, it examines two main issues they face: how and when to introduce and use gay-themed materials while teaching the curriculum and how to confront homophobic slurs heard at school. The participants also define and discuss their understanding of appropriate male performance while at school, which has implications for a broader understanding of social education. I conclude that the gay teachers in this study feel compelled by social and political forces to conform to expected norms of "masculine" male behaviors, yielding to what I label the "school effect." (Contains 1 table.)