Date of Award
2013
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Education
Abstract
The existence of gay and lesbian teachers remains for many a dangerous notion. Indeed, education and schooling are terrains in which homosexuality has historically been highly charged. Underlying this are problematic assumptions about the suitability of gays and lesbians as school workers, assumptions that feed into larger questions about gays and lesbians in general. This thesis will explore these assumptions - and their consequences for gay and lesbian teachers - against the backdrop of both the 1950s, when the burgeoning Cold War created an "age of anxiety," and the 1970s, when the rise of the religious right began to transform American politics and rally a nascent gay rights movement. In doing so, I will attempt to "map" the cultural, religious and political discourses which have supported prejudices against gay and lesbian school workers.
Recommended Citation
Heffernan, Kevin Vincent, "Legislating the Risk of Light Teachers in 1950s and 1970s America" (2013). Master's Theses. 1458.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/1458
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2013 Kevin Vincent Heffernan
