Queer Faculty in the Academy: Is It Getting Better?

Abstract

This paper weaves the author's personal experience as an out lesbian researcher of LGBTQ health with contemporary research on LGBTQ faculty members' experiences. It also draws from the literature on other marginalized faculty members' experiences (women, faculty of color) to identify common themes that prevent the full inclusion of diverse faculty in higher education. Structural oppression is often invisible and university's focus on values of meritocracy, individual effort, competition, and elitism create unspoken barriers to faculty success. The paper discusses three general themes: the paradox of visibility (including being out on faculty, doing LGBTQ research, and being an advocate/activist), curricular issues, and internalizing of oppression. The final section outlines strategies for overcoming some of the barriers, including LGBTQ-specific organizing and community building and creating coalitions across marginalized faculty groups.