Presents one teacher educator's experiences working to transform the classroom by telling his own stories and coming out to his students early in the semester. The author believes that by sharing his story with his students, he shows them how to embrace freedom and enter into communication with each other in states of being, not seeming. (SM)

Longitudinal relations between past suicidality and subsequent changes in psychological distress at follow-up were examined among gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) youths, as were psychosocial factors (e.g., self-esteem, social support, negative social relationships) that might mediate or moderate this relation. Past suicide attempters were found…

Bases for individual acceptance and cultural integration of gays and lesbians were investigated by assessing qualities of personality among four participant groups: Heterosexual females, heterosexual males, homosexual females, and homosexual males. Personality was operationally defined as personal qualities and characteristics associated with…

Disclosing an HIV diagnosis to his mother may be the first step in a man's successful management of his illness, but it may also lead to added stress due to stigmatization. Analyzing data provided by 166 HIV-positive men who lived in the southeastern United States, we found that the most powerful correlate of disclosure was exposure to HIV through…

This study examined associations among family type (same-sex vs. opposite-sex parents); family and relationship variables; and the psychosocial adjustment, school outcomes, and romantic attractions and behaviors of adolescents. Participants included 44 12- to 18-year-old adolescents parented by same-sex couples and 44 same-aged adolescents…

This chapter highlights the major themes presented in this volume. It also offers a glimpse into LGBTQ issues in organizational settings that remain underrepresented in adult, continuing, and higher education.

This chapter provides an overview of nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity and addresses how such policies might be used to improve campus climates for LGBT students, faculty, and staff.

This article examines how a widespread homophobic ideology makes the coming out process for adolescents an event that is traumatic, potentially threatening the physical integrity of the coming out adolescent. It outlines the relational and individual processes specific to those youths who are able to successfully adapt and develop in the face of…

Researchers explored the experiences of 7 lesbian and 5 gay male college students in the area of spirituality. Participants shared the challenges they faced, how they dealt with those experiences and challenges, and how their spiritual identity development related to their sexual orientation. Findings include the categories of reconciliation,…

The present study examined associations between lesbian and feminist identity and predictors of female physical attractiveness. Seventy-two nonfeminist heterosexuals, 38 feminist heterosexuals, 75 nonfeminist lesbians, and 33 feminist lesbians were asked to rate according to physical attractiveness a set of images of real women with known body…

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS), an instrument that measures the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of counselors who work with lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Internal consistency of the SOCCS was 0.90, and 1-week test-retest reliability was 0.84. Criterion,…

In this paper, the author, who teaches a secondary arts method course at a southwestern university, describes how curriculum planning enabled her to introduce students to the art of lesbian and gay artists, thereby helping the students to understand what they can expect in the real world of teaching and what they might be up against should they…

A few years ago a state legislator traveled throughout California to promote a referendum that would prohibit homosexuals from teaching in classrooms. Together with his companions, they said that allowing homosexuals to teach in the classroom would expose young people to the "wrong role models." In this article, the author shares his views on this…

Alex Sanchez writes about the importance of having literature with gay-straight themes available to students to help overcome homophobia and provide safer schools for everyone. Letters received from middle school, junior high school, and high school boys and girls across America in response to Sanchez's gay-straight themed novels are narrated.

The authors compared the effects of information-based and attitude-based interventions on counselor trainees' knowledge about and attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Analyses of variance indicated that providing information yielded higher knowledge levels than did not providing information and that the exploration of attitudes led…