National randomized experimental study finds no evidence of undergraduate bias against LGB biology instructors, even in LGB-unfriendly states.

Abstract

Long-standing stigma against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals in academic biology dissuades instructors from revealing their identities to undergraduates. The threat of consequences following disclosure is assumed to be exacerbated in states with LGBTQ+ "unfriendly" reputations. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a national randomized experimental study of 2230 undergraduate biology students to assess the impact of brief instructor LGBTQ+ disclosure. Participants were randomly assigned to watch one of two teaching demonstration videos and evaluate an instructor actor. The videos were identical except, in one version, the instructor revealed an LGB identity. Across all of the participants, the reveal condition yielded moderately improved evaluations of the instructor. Despite the participants in low LGBTQ+ acceptance states perceiving that their peers would view instructor LGBTQ+ disclosure negatively, the states' LGBTQ+ acceptance did not predict the students' evaluations of the instructor actor. These findings suggest that, regardless of a state's LGBTQ+ acceptance, undergraduates' perceptions of instructors were unaffected by brief LGBTQ+ disclosure.