Truth Be Told: The Effects of Sexual Orientation on the Lives of Lesbian Educators

Abstract

This work investigates the lives and experiences of lesbian educational leaders in

a variety of settings in an effort to gain insight and understanding into the ways in which

they balance their personal and professional lives, the ways in which their experiences of

providing leadership are affected, negotiated, and/or regulated by their sexual

orientation, and the coping strategies they use to manage the complexities associated

with being a lesbian educator.

This work is the result of a qualitative research study using participant interviews

to gather data, and is informed by a critical theoretical perspective. Patterns of recurring

ideas, common themes and critical incidents that emerged among the participant

interviews were identified and then included in a fiction that weaves the stories of the

participants into the lives and stories of several composite characters.

The story follows the life of Toni Morgan from the discovery of her sexual

orientation as a teenager, through her struggles with regard to coming out, finding selfacceptance,

beginning a teaching career and eventually becoming a school administrator.

The story explores many issues and difficulties related to being a lesbian in a public

school system.

This work also includes a preface that provides a rationale for presenting

research in the form of a fiction, as well as an overview of the research methods used.

An appendix includes a review of the literature as it pertains to gay and lesbian students

and educators.