SIG Survey Results

In preparation for a presentation to be given at the 2000 Annual NAFSA Conference in San Diego, the following survey was developed and distributed via the Lesbigay SIG's listserve, as well as via the general NAFSA listserve, Inter-L. Some listserve mem bers shared it with other international educators not affiliated with NAFSA. While only 26 people responded, a number much too small to draw any conclusions about the overall population of GLBT international educators, the results seem to reinforce inform ation received in the earlier survey of SIG members. Fully half (13) of the respondents reported not being closeted in any way, and an additional 31% (8 respondents) reported being closeted only to students. Only 12% (3 respondents) felt their jobs were a t risk if their sexuality were revealed. Nineteen or 73% indicated their institutions included sexual orientation in their non-discrimination clauses.

An interesting result, if again, not significant, was that more females (7) were closeted to more groups of people at work than were males, all 6 of whom were closeted only to students. In addition all three of the respondents who felt their jobs were at risk if their sexuality were known were women.