Birthing the Lesbian Teacher Within: Towards an Understanding of Identity and Self-Actualization

This discussion is an outgrowth of two semesters of teaching; in the first semester I was closeted, in the next semester I came out to my entire class. An interaction with a student marks the onset of many more "contractions" which led to the "birthing" of my lesbian-teacher identity. I use my teaching experiences as a launching point from which to explore the complex issues involved in teacher self-disclosure of lesbian or gay identities and to show how the choice to come out can produce overwhelmingly positive effects on our teaching and pedagogy.