Heterosexism and Self-Disclosure in the Social Work Classroom

This article discusses the responses of the author's students to his in-class disclosure that he is gay. The responses of 71 BSW students, collected via questionnaires distributed to two classes in two consecutive years, are examined in sections covering student awareness of gay and lesbian issues, reactions to the disclosure, and its effects on the learning environment, on recognizing homophobia and heterosexism, and on analyzing power. Among the issues discussed are the classroom power balance, the relationship between personal and political actions, the students' failure to link homophobia and heterosexism with other forms of oppression, and the neglect of these topics in other social work courses.