Identity management strategies among lesbian and gay educators

Abstract

This report describes identity management strategies used in school by lesbian and gay educators. Participants in the study were 13 self‐identified lesbian and gay educators who worked in preschool‐12th‐grade settings. Each participant was interviewed about her or his experience of being a lesbian or gay educator. Researchers and participants analyzed the interview transcripts to identify themes of experience. Participants chose identity management strategies that addressed either their fear of exposure or their wish for self‐integrity. The identity management strategies used by participants comprise a continuum from low to high risk: (a) passing, (b)covering, (c) implicidy coming out, and (d) explicitly coming out. The results are presented in the context of contemporary labeling theory and critical feminist theory.