LGB TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS FROM 1970-1985

Abstract

This dissertation examines the activities and organization of six LGB teachers’ organizations which were active between 1970 and 1985. LGB teachers’ organizations located in California, New York City, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association are each examined in respective chapters. Each of these chapters focuses on a specific theme that is apparent throughout the histories of these groups. These themes include: professionalism, community, negotiation, and the portrayal of LGB teachers. This dissertation is an inquiry into the first time in American history when LGB people who were K-12 teachers came out in large numbers, the first time they were seen as being not heterosexual without being forced out of America’s schools, and the first time these teachers acted in groups to protect themselves and LGB students from an educational system that was openly hostile to anyone who did not appear to be heterosexual. LGB teachers were among the first LGB people to organize professional groups and they were among the first LGB people to secure commitments against discrimination from national level labor unions. Working first to protect their employment rights and later to ensure the educational rights of LGBT students, LGB teachers’ groups were at the forefront of shifting American schools toward greater inclusivity. By examining these groups through the perspectives of education, labor, and LGBT history this dissertation will argue that the relevance of these LGB teachers’ groups extends far beyond the individual experiences of LGB teachers and their schools and can be used to discuss broad expectations that Americans held, and continue to hold, for their schools and teachers.