Teaching about heterosexism and creating an empathic experience of homophobia

SUMMARY The concept of the "chilly campus climate" for students has long been used to describe women's experiences. The climate for lesbians and gays has not been assessed in this way; however, the attitudes of students toward diverse groups suggest that generally a hostile environment exists for this population. This paper discusses assessing students' attitudes and how this is essential to the process of teaching about heterosexism. Other pedagogical issues and concerns regarding teaching about heterosexism and homophobia are examined. These include examples of teaching exercises intended to create an empathic response from students that reinforces their cognitive understanding of homophobia.