Poisoned Ivy: Lesbian and Gay Academics Confronting Homophobia [Paperback]

Toni Mcnaron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 1996

Lesbian and gay books and conference papers might be hot items these days, but lesbian and gay academics all over the country are still subjected to homophobic personal slights, harassment, and discrimination. How do they cope, and what kinds of actions can promote positive change? In "Poisoned Ivy", Toni A. H. McNaron tells her own story and reports on the experiences of some 300 lesbian and gay academics with at least fifteen years in their profession. McNaron, a lesbian who has spent thirty years teaching English at one institution, tells of her own painful steps toward coming out to colleagues and students. Recalling her terror of being identified as a lesbian, she describes how she awkwardly attempted to befriend other (probably closeted) faculty members and stifled class discussions that veered too close to the taboo topic of sexuality. Like McNaron, faculty from a wide range of disciplines, geographical regions, and institutions speak out about their long-term experiences in negotiating the difficult terrain of casual conversations with colleagues, departmental politics, and administration policies. Each had to carefully weigh the risks of coming out, and their stories dramatically underscore that no decision fits all situations. In stark contrast to accounts of being denied tenure or promotion are testimonies about the elation that comes from doing lesbian/gay scholarship or political work on campus, or mentoring students and junior faculty. As numerous personal testimonies make clear, the bad old days are far from over. Lesbian and gay individuals flourish in relatively few progressive departments and institutions; at others, they find ambivalent or inhospitable responses. Seeing the hard-won gains in civil liberties under siege all over the country, some lesbian and gay faculty wonder whether they were wise to come out; others are steadfast in their choice but not sanguine about the threat to their careers. "Poisoned Ivy" is an unsparing account of contemporary academic life. Author note: Toni A. H. McNaron is Professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota, where she has taught for over thirty years. She is the author of I Dwell in Possibility, "Voices in the Night: Women Speaking about Incest"; "The Sister Bond: A Feminist View of a Timeless Connection"; and co-editor with Bonnie Zimmerman of "New Lesbian Studies: Into the 21st Century".

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A professor of English and women's studies for 30 years at the University of Minnesota, McNaron here blends her own experience of academia?both as scholar and "out" lesbian?with the narrated accounts of colleagues from a variety of disciplines and geographic locations. McNaron queried more than 300 gay or lesbian academics who have taught for at least 15 years on the university level, seeking their experiences concerning homophobia in the workplace as well as their perceptions of what has changed over the years. Emerging here is the sobering testimony of people working under conditions ranging from open hostility to minimum tolerance. The few examples of institutions that do more than pay lip service to civil liberties on campus shine through. McNaron concludes that the only hope for meaningful systemic change lies at the door of administration. Well recommended for academic education and gay studies collections.?Karen Duff, Boston P.L.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

A startling look at the way academia opens its arms to gay and lesbian scholarship but not to gay and lesbian scholars

Honorable Mention for Outstanding Books Awards, Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights in North America --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; 1St Edition edition (November 20, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566394880
• ISBN-13: 978-1566394888
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,519,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read for all Academics, July 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Poisoned Ivy: Lesbian and Gay Academics Confronting Homophobia (Paperback)

As a woman starting her own academic career soon, I found this book wonderfully helpful. It has given me a deeper appreciation and respect for lesbians and gay men who struggle with how out they can be on their campuses. It has also made me think about how I will approach and respect gay and lesbian issues in my own classroom. Just as straight people may look at their collegues and students and wonder who may be gay or lesbian, gays and lesbians are looking at straight people and trying to figure out who they can safely come out to.

McNaron's work also emphaszied the vital connection between our personal lives and our academic work. When the two are painfully separated from each other, they both suffer. Her story, and many of the others she includes, demonstrate how much more fruitful and satisfying your work can be, for yourself and the larger acadmic community, when your personal and academic lives can work together. This is a lesson all of us, regardless of sexual orientation, can learn from.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Naming the Elephant", October 3, 2004

By 

Michael DiSchiavi (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poisoned Ivy: Lesbian and Gay Academics Confronting Homophobia (Paperback)

Toni McNaron spent 30 years in the classroom at the University of Minnesota. During that time, she looked directly into the varied faces of homophobia. Most times, she looked without blinking.
In "Poisoned Ivy" McNaron, to paraphrase a comment she makes in the book, names the elephant in the living room of academia. She addresses, head on, the issues of blatant homophobia and heterosexism which are faced by lesbian and gay academics on a daily basis.
As an educator at the high school level interested in lesbian and gay scholarship, McNaron's book has remained near and dear to me; I have read and re - read its pages repeatedly. When I first read it, I lost sleep attempting to complete it. The writing is engrossing and (although I do not as of yet teach at the college level) very familiar.
"Poisoned Ivy, arguably McNaron's magnus opus, is strongly recommended for all gays and lesbians who are members of the work force. For those working in the field of education, it is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ. McNaron's story and the story of the other acadmeics who participated in her survey, is the story of thousands upon thousands of people in this country who continue to suffer in silence.