Power and Homosexuality in the Teaching Workplace.

The issue of homosexuality in the educational workplace is one that is shrouded in controversy as schools have been, and still are, seen as bastions of the inculcation of traditional knowledge and social values. As a result teachers are generally held to stricter moral and legal standards than other occupations. This ultimately creates significant problems for gay and lesbian members of the teaching workforce. There has been a significant lack of research into the issues of teaching and homosexuality. This article attempts to analyze the power relationships as faced by gays and lesbians in their place of employment and how this may impact upon their career paths. The first section discusses power through a Foucauldian perspective. Section two focuses on the gay and lesbian community and argues that they are, in fact, disadvantaged in the educational workplace. The final section looks at work and careers and focuses on how an individual's career path and leadership aspirations are affected by these power relationships. It is beyond the scope of this paper to fully analyze the many views and influences on power and power relationships. Therefore, this paper attempts to present a framework of power that has particular relevance to the educational setting.