University/Organization
US Coast Guard Academy

Title
Teaching Gender, Talking Sex during the Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

Synopsis
What experiences and practices encourage undergraduates to change their minds about deeply held beliefs? This essay is a brief ethnographic snapshot of the US Coast Guard Academy during the transition of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (2010-2011). This essay explores the various techniques and pedagogical strategies which various faculty members and institutional leadership employed over the course of 18 months to begin to move a modestly recalcitrant population toward a more inclusive understanding of gay and lesbian service members.

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