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“It's Just My Job To Be ‘Out’”: Tenure Stories of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Academics

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International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) professors who undergo the tenure review process face the possibility that homophobic prejudice and discrimination will hurt their chances of receiving promotion. In light of this potential for bias, the tenure stories of LGB academics reflect a concern for unmasking tactics of discrimination in order to dismantle institutional homophobia. The author analyzes tenure and promotion narratives of LGB professors from both sociological and folkloric perspectives, and argues that these narratives function to build solidarity within LGB communities, and provide an important means by which academics who face the potential of prejudice and retributory marginalization for their sexual orientation can expose discriminatory practices.

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Pugh, W.W.T. “It's Just My Job To Be ‘Out’”: Tenure Stories of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Academics. International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies 3, 93–112 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023207410442

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023207410442

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