"We All Have a Personal Story about Why We Do What We Do": A Qualitative Exploration of LGBTQ Identity and Experiences Among Social Work Faculty

Background and Purpose: Despite evidence suggesting that college or university settings tend to be diverse, liberal, and accepting environments, not all faculty who identify as LGBTQ feel safe, supported, or empowered with respect to being out within their institutions (Dozier, 2015; LaSala, Jenkins, Wheeler, & Fredriksen-Goldsen, 2008; Orlov & Allen, 2014). The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) assert positions on the importance of respecting and promoting diversity within Schools of Social Work (CSWE, 2015; NASW, 2017), yet some social work faculty and students who identify as LGBTQ report ongoing homophobia, discrimination, and marginalization within their social work programs (Craig et al., 2017; Dentato et al., 2016; LaSala et al., 2008).  We add to this limited body of literature by exploring the question, “What is the impact that social work faculty members’ decisions to be “out” has on their roles within their institution including mentoring students, engaged teaching and learning, research, and service?”

Methods: A purposive sample of 17 social work faculty at diverse universities across the United States who self-identified as members of the LGBTQ community were interviewed by research team members, all of whom were trained social workers with considerable experience conducting qualitative interviews. Data were collected through direct scribing, allowing the interviewer to type while conducting the interview, giving participants the opportunity to review and edit their own words in real time, further insuring accurate representation of their voices (Martin, 1998; Nybell, 2013). The semi-structured interviews were completed in person or via Internet software and ranged in length from 46 minutes to one hour and 24 minutes. Thematic analysis with inductive coding was used to identify and analyze themes within the data (Braun & Clark, 2006).

Results: The data revealed that despite ongoing experiences with discrimination and marginalization surrounding sexual orientation or gender identity within Schools of Social Work, a majority of these faculty were open about their identity and indicated that they felt a sense of responsibility to self, their students, and the profession to be engaged and authentic in their teaching and research. Additional themes include the need to provide safe spaces for students’ learning, increase the visibility of diverse faculty, and advocate for change within the larger university system.

Conclusions and Implications: The purpose of this study is to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ social work faculty who are out within their work environment, and the impact that the state of being out has on their research and teaching. Social work faculty discussed the importance of balance and responsibility as it relates to maintaining a sense of self, role modeling for students, and managing the demands of a career in academia. Implications for social work teaching and research include evaluating practices in Schools of Social Work to ensure they match the core values of our profession including providing a safe environment for all students and faculty, valuing and promoting diversity, and modeling cultural competence through teaching and research.