Preservice Art Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Addressing LGBTQ Issues in Their Future Classrooms

Abstract

For this study, I surveyed 146 urban university preservice art teachers about their attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) issues, including the stereotypes, biases, and misconceptions of this population that these teachers acquired from the media. A three-part questionnaire asked their response to several gay publications and their familiarity with gay issues, partly to explore their own relationships to the LGBTQ community. This research specifically explored the participants’ attitudes toward teaching LGBTQ topics in their future visual art classrooms in public schools. The results indicated that most of the respondents were ready and willing to learn about and teach these topics in their future art classrooms. However, they expressed anxieties and concerns about encountering a conservative school administration or community culture that would prevent them from actively supporting and covering LGBTQ issues. This article addresses these challenges, discusses the study’s implications, and offers suggestions for supporting and assisting these teachers in presenting these issues in their future classrooms, especially to reduce bullying and help create a safe school for all.