HETEROSEXISM AND SELF-DISCLOSURE IN THE SOCIAL-WORK CLASSROOM

This article discusses the responses of the author's students to his i n-class disclosure that he is gay. The responses of 71 BSW students, c ollected via questionnaires distributed to two classes in two consecut ive years, are examined in sections covering student awareness of gay and lesbian issues, reactions to the disclosure, and its effects on th e learning environment, on recognizing homophobia and heterosexism, an d on analyzing power. Among the issues discussed are the classroom pow er balance, the relationship between personal and political actions, t he students' failure to link homophobia and heterosexism with other fo rms of oppression, and the neglect of these topics in other social wor k courses.