Negotiating a Research Protocol for Studying School-Based Gay and Lesbian Issues

The nature of public schooling, particularly at the early and middle childhood levels, makes designing critical qualitative studies around gay and lesbian issues in the school context problematic at best. This article provides a retrospective dialogue between an associate professor and her then Ph.D. candidate advisee that reflects on the tension created as they negotiated through the pitfalls and problems inherent in developing a workable proposal for a gay/lesbian school-based study. The authors use a point/counterpoint format that addresses such issues as study design, researcher ethics, and other relevant concerns for those interested in conducting school-based studies around gay/lesbian issues.