LGBTQ
Educational leadership of LGBTQ students
Tennille Love
School of Education, Liberty University
EDUC 740: Leadership Principles and Ethics
Dr. Veronica Sims
September 20, 2020
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tennille Love,
School of Education, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 24515, United States.
Email: tlove5@liberty.edu
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The issue of gender identity within the field of education has become increasingly more relevant
since the gay rights movement of the 1960s. An individual’s decision to self-identify as a
member of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transsexual, or queer (LGBTQ) community has forced a
major paradigm shift within the education sector. This shift demands educational systems and
leaders to determine how best to provide education in an equitable and accepting manner while
protecting the rights and safety of all students. This contemporary shift, while more readily
tolerated in secular institutions, creates a unique point of tension in Bible-based or Christian
institutions. It raises the question of how can leaders of Bible-based or Christian schools both
recognize a student's right to gender self-identification while continuing to teach and uphold
Godly principles.
Love the person, hate the sin
While the missions of many Bible-based and Christian institutions are invested in
upholding Biblical principles regarding traditional gender identification, educational leaders are
now faced with an ethical and spiritual dilemma. How can leaders cultivate and promote an
inclusive environment for all students, while maintaining principles that disapprove the lifestyles
of a particular set of students?
In the gospel according to Mark, the two commandments to love are noted as the greatest
commandments of all Godly mandates. The passage states, “Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31The second
is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” ("Bible
gateway passage: Mark 12:30-31 - New international version," n.d.). These commandments
underscore the sentiment to love the sinner and hate the sin. Strunk and Bailey (2018) articulate
that such a belief reflects the stance of embracing the person while rejecting their identities
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and/or sexual behavior as being unacceptable or as an abomination. Consequently, LGBTQ
students face the challenges of living outside the norm as well as the suffering with the tension of
juxtaposing their sexuality with the anti-gay Christian normative constructs. While the Bible
teaches to love all, LGBTQ students can experience marginalization both inside and outside their
educational communities.
Conducting crucial conversations
Dessel et al. (2019) note that due to the inadequacy in the preparation to work with
members of the LGBTQ community, educational leaders and faculty feel uncomfortable and
doubtful of their abilities to work LGBTQ students. In addition, the conflict between
conservative Christian beliefs and LGBTQ topics may influence one’s ability to carry out their
job duties in an ethical manner. Such conflicts may be even stronger for those individuals that
identify as being very religious, say that God plays a critical role in their lives, and also believe
that same-sex and other queer behaviors are sinful (Dessel et al., 2019).
The juncture of these two issues continue to cause major tension within education.
Hence, to move towards find a resolution, Dessel et al. (2019) highlight several steps to address
the issue. The first step to addressing the problem is for educational leaders to engage students in
a dialogue about the impact of Christian values upon their LGBTQ lifestyle, and conversely, how
that lifestyle affects teaching practices. Secondly, educational leaders and faculty must develop
their own cultural competence and communication skills necessary to facilitate challenging
conversations about the possible need for LGBTQ-affirmative educational practices. Thirdly,
educational leaders are to support the students’ educational journey in a non-judgmental manner,
even if one disapproves of the LGBTQ lifestyle. Hence, a leaders’ willingness to have open
dialogue, the development of both cultural competence, and humility is borne of a collaborative
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educational process. This process involves: critical self-awareness, pursuing culturally valid and
empirically-based sources of knowledge, using evidence-based practices with diverse
populations, and finally the use of reflective evaluations of such practices (Dessel et al., 2019).
Blackaby and Blackaby (2011) underscore the importance of a leaders’ need to
communicate effectively, as the foundation on which conversation and understanding can occur.
The authors (2011) emphasize the point by stating that effective communication must be clear,
but not necessarily verbose. Therefore, educational leaders must follow Jesus’ example to
measure and tailor their words when addressing students, including those who identify as
LGBTQ. While there are no scriptural supports that endorse sexual immorality of any kind, the
Bible chronicles how Jesus effectively communicated with individuals that were deemed
sexually immoral. In the gospel according to John, chapter 8, Jesus addresses a woman caught in
the very act of adultery. While the civic and religious leaders were prepared to condemn her to
death via stoning, Jesus made it clear that he did not condemn her. However, He was equally
clear in commanding her to immediately cease her behavior ("Bible gateway passage: John 8:1-
11 - New American standard Bible," n.d.). Thus, Jesus models how culturally competent
educational leaders must conduct crucial conversations with love, by using clear, concise, and
corrective language that is absent of condemnation.
Leading with empathy
“For the sake of the people you lead, you need to be accepting of others as they are. We
are all human, and we need to treat people respectfully” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 203).
Educational leaders must embody this principle. Regardless of the differences in viewpoints and
lifestyle choices, effective and ethical leadership demands that one shows concern for others. In
the United States, Christianity holds a privilege within the dominant discourse (Dessel et al.,
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2019). As such, leaders that ascribe to Christian values must put aside their privilege in an effort
to show openness to the alternative beliefs of students of the LGBTQ community. However,
leading empathetically is not tantamount to the acceptance of other’s viewpoints, but rather
seeing the world through their eyes to understand how they feel.
The empathetic leadership model is rooted in the phenomenon of looking at ethics and
how it relates to leader empathy. As such, the theoretical framework for empathetic leadership is
built on the premise that leaders that use empathy create a positive environment. As a result of
the improved affective state, followers feel safe and comfortable. Consequently, followers
expend greater work efforts and increase and/or enhance their performance. Thus, leader
empathy creates two forms of support—emotional and instructional (Kock, et al., 2019).
Kock et al. (2019) discuss the power of empathetic leadership, defining empathy as, “the
ability to understand and appreciate another person’s experiences while providing emotional
support and a feeling of security”. Therefore, the connection between empathy and performance
is the foundation of the empathetic leadership model. This model focuses on the emotional
leadership provided to followers, and in combination with emotional understanding, yields
emotional security. Once this level of security is established, a follower’s performance outcomes
and level of innovation increases.
In his letter to the Romans, Apostle Paul expresses the importance of the people being
empathetic towards each other by stating, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who
weep” ("Bible gateway passage: Romans 12:15 - English standard version," n.d.). This empathic
approach requires that leaders focus on the genuine well-being of their followers. By translating
this Biblical belief into practice, educational leaders can use the empathetic leadership model as
a guide. Educational leaders of both secular and Bible-based or Christian institutions can adopt
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and practice this non-exchange form of leadership with all students, including LGBTQ students.
Since this model takes a more collaborative approach, educational leaders must consider the
needs of their students, but also satisfy their own and institutional needs to be effective. So, the
empathetic leadership model views each leader-follower or educator-student relationship as
unique, each following a different developmental path. This is a critical factor considering the
unique needs of LGBTQ students (Kock et al., 2019). Empathetic leadership requires leaders to
differentiate their emotional support and understanding, tailoring it to what students require to be
academically successful.
Converting theory to practice
According to Strunk and Bailey (2018), there are no federal guides by which LGBTQ
policies should be formed. Hence, Bible-based and Christian institutions continue to follow the
love the sinner, hate the sin approach. To further emphasize this assertion, the Council for
Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) holds that there should be a differentiation between
the person and the behavior regarding the establishment of LGBTQ guidelines. Nevertheless,
despite proposed legislation such as the Fairness for All Act and the Equality Act, there are no
official federal mandates to govern how schools should address LGBTQ students. This lack of
governmental guidance acts as both a blessing and a curse to Bible-based or Christian
institutions. While schools can continue to exercise autonomy regarding their LGBTQ policies
and practices, they also remain at risk of possibly losing much needed federal funding if federal
mandates are enacted. Consequently, the lack of government guidance and/or the enactment of
restrictive legislation could potentially compromise the educational opportunities and freedoms
of this particular subgroup.
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Unfortunately, due to the lack of protective laws, LGBTQ students could face
marginalization within the educational community. Thus, educational leaders, regardless of the
absence of federal guidance, must lead ethically. This can requires them to formulate, implement,
and promote inclusive policies and practices. Celebrating the diversity of one’s student
population while meeting their needs using an empathetic approach is the charge of all education
leaders.
In conclusion, Jesus provides the ultimate and perfect example of how one is to lead and
educate their followers. Jesus never dismissed or discriminated against an individual based on
their faults or proclivities. But rather, He offers an open invitation that all who seek Him. Apostle
John clearly notes this assertion by stating, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” ("Bible gateway
passage: John 3:16 - English standard version," n.d.). Therefore, with a loving spirit and an
empathetic approach, educational leaders must continue to educate all students, regardless of
their gender identification.
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References
Bible gateway passage: John 8:1-11 - New American standard Bible. (n.d.). Bible
Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208%3A1-
11&version=NASB
Bible gateway passage: John 3:16 - English standard version. (n.d.). Bible
Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John
%203%3A16&version=ESV
Bible gateway passage: Mark 12:30-31 - New international version. (n.d.). Bible
Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012%3A30-
31&version=NIV
Bible gateway passage: Romans 12:15 - English standard version. (n.d.). Bible
Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A15&version=
ESV
Blackaby, H., & Blackaby, R. (2011). Spiritual leadership: Moving people on to God's
agenda. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group.
Dessel, A., Levy, D.L., Lewis, T.O., McCarty-Caplan, D., Jacobsen, J. & Kaplan, L. (2019).
Teaching Note—Challenges in the Classroom on LGBTQ Topics and Christianity
in Social Work. Journal of Social Work Education, 55(1), 202-210.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1080/10437797.2018.1513879
Kock, N., Mayfield, M., Mayfield, J., Sexton, S., & Garza, L.M. (2019). Empathetic Leadership:
How Leader Emotional Support and Understanding Influences Follower
Performance. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 26, 217 - 236.
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Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary
things happen in organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Strunk, K., & Bailey, L. E. (2018). “A Question Everybody Danced Around”: Gay Men Sensing
of Their Identities in Christian Colleges. Educational Studies, 54(5), 483–504.
