The Last Closet: The Real Lives of Lesbian and Gay Teachers, Rita M. Kissen (Heinemann, 1996)

You've told your family. (Gulp!) You've told your friends and neighbors. Your doctor knows, and your plumber. But at your workplace you're silent. You debate with yourself a dozen times a day: do I or don't I? The consequences could be devastating, no matter which you choose. You love what you do, but you're scared to be yourself while doing it. If you let yourself out, you may not be able to do what you love to do. You're a teacher, see, and not only could your livelihood be on the line, but your capacity to pursue what may be as much a part of you as your sexual orientation. If teaching is a calling, if it gives sustenance and meaning to your days, then your life is at risk.

Dramatic? Yes. Exaggerated? No. In fact, it is this basic scenario that Rita M. Kissen describes again and again in her book, The Last Closet: The Real Lives of Lesbian and Gay Teachers. With each protagonist Kissen introduces, the details vary, of course. They originate in many different towns and cities nationwide and while some of their stories are inspiring, some are horrifying, and some are a measure of both. Whatever the tone or specific tale, however, the message is clear: the challenge of every gay, lesbian, and bisexual teacher is to find a way to integrate "gay" and "educator" into "one coherent identity," often against intimidating odds.

Kissen conveys the complexity and struggle of gay educators with clarity and compassion. She not only reports on their experiences but effectively synthesizes and orders them into five discrete, though congruous sections. The headings of these include "The Center of Myself," "Hiding," and "From Survival to Empowerment." Only one, "Horror Stories" seems misstated, given that horror is an element inherent to the other sections as well. A more appropriate title might be something like "Under Siege" since it is in these pages that the reader learns of some of the repercussions teachers have endured for making the decision to be out.

Like many books dealing with issues in education, The Last Closet only examines the experience of teachers in the K-12 system. The omission of adult basic education is understandable in some contexts, but in this one it is inappropriate. A relatively large number of gay teachers choose to work in this field because in many ways ABE appears to be a place where one need not compromise one's self, one's work, or one's safety. However, there are other, different challenges that confront the ABE teacher, which can prove perplexing and painful. Kissen would have done well to have documented those, too.

Criticism aside, Kissen's book is a gift to teachers, gay and straight, and ultimately, to the students served. For every gay, lesbian, or bisexual teacher, there is at least one gay, lesbian, or bisexual student whose learning experience and eventual success is deeply influenced by the validation he or she receives. A teacher who is out and confident in the classroom and supported within the school or program is key to enabling anyone to strive toward his or her full potential. Everyone in the learning community needs to participate in opening the last closet.

Jeri Bayer has taught ABE and ESOL in numerous settings and is now the Curriculum Coordinator at Northeast SABES. She can be reached at 978-738-7301.