2002 Annual Report, Advisory Committee on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues in Academic Studies

The Advisory Committee on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues in Academic Studies held its annual meeting at the Baltimore NCTE Convention.  As there had been some discussion on the NCTE Executive Committee regarding site selection for future conventions, and the possibility of having conventions in cities that do not discriminate against lesbians and gay men but are in states with sodomy laws, the Committee was visited by President Anne Gere, Vice President and Program Chair for 2002 David Bloome, and Executive Director Kent Williamson.  The Committee was updated on the discussions regarding site selection, and since it was found that even though certain cities have statutes protecting sexual orientation, city laws are still subject to state laws, and, in all cases, would be in violation of NCTE’s 1992 resolution prohibiting the holding of any NCTE convention in states with sodomy laws.  The Committee was informed that the current criteria regarding convention site selection would therefore remain in place, and the Committee was reassured that NCTE would not schedule any future conventions in such states.

As all future convention sites are in accordance with the 1992 resolution, the Committee hopes that the issue is now resolved as it has spent most of its two terms in existence ensuring that the 10-year-old resolution is honored.  Two representatives of the Committee attended the Convention Concerns Committee in Baltimore, and it was further affirmed that NCTE could not hold its conventions in states with sodomy laws as such a move would be in conflict with NCTE’s commitment to all forms of diversity, to free enquiry and expression, and to democratic teaching practices.

The Committee also decided to direct its efforts to its educative mission by first ensuring that there be LGBT representation on the convention program each November and by thinking about the possibility of a one-day workshop on Lesbian/Gay/Queer Studies and the teaching of English and language arts for the San Francisco convention.  The Committee noted that more work needs to be done onsite in schools and with curriculum and textual materials, particularly at elementary and middle school levels.  The Committee also discussed the importance of ensuring that the Assembly, the Gay-Straight Educators Alliance (GSEA), continue to thrive by holding elections and encouraging people to run for office on GSEA’s Executive Board.

Five members of GSEA were invited to Urbana in February for the Winter Planning meeting for the 2002 Convention in Atlanta and worked vigilantly with David Bloome, 2002 Program Chair, to ensure that there was an LGBT Strand session slated for each concurrent time period, Friday through Sunday.  Through the encouragement of the LGBT Advisory Committee, David Bloome was able to secure the first openly lesbian author, Carole Maso, to appear on the NCTE Author Strand in Atlanta.  The LGBT Strand planners at Winter Planning were saddened to hear that a submitted session that planned to encompass issues pertaining to both racial and sexual identity, and therefore pertinent to both Rainbow and LGBT Strands, was voted as “unqualified” for the Rainbow designation by the Rainbow Strand.  The Committee plans to follow up as to why such code sharing is not possible with LGBT when other convention sessions often have multiple designations (Research Strand, etc.) for the benefit of showing convention attendees the multiple foci of a particular session.

The Committee unanimously elected Marcy Rayher as co-chair of the Advisory Committee on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues in Academic Studies for a term of three years.  Marcy replaces Roxanne Henkin who resigned as co-chair a year prior to the expiry of her term as a result of being elected to the Middle School Steering Committee.  The Committee thanked Roxanne for her hard work and dedication in serving both the Committee and the Assembly.

The Committee plans to hold its next annual meeting at the NCTE Convention in Atlanta. 

OWilliam J. Spurlin, Co-Chair