LGBT Studies
Overview
In 1970, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offered the second known university course in LGBT Studies. This was an interdisciplinary course in "Homophile Studies" facilitated by Professor Lou Crompton of the English Department. Professor Crompton's achievements in curriculum, research, and as co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the MLA have been recognized by a prize for work in LGBT Studies given in his name by the MLA. In the 1980s, Sinister Wisdom: A Multicultural Journal By and For Lesbians was published out of the English Department by Julia Penelope. A number of our current faculty also do research and teaching on lgbt literature and theory. Graduate students in English can integrate courses from the undergraduate minor in LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies into their programs as a collateral field.
The department regularly brings in or co-sponsors visits by writers and scholars in this field. Recent visitors have included: Lourdes Portillo, Leslie Feinberg, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Chrystos, Emma Perez, Pat Alderete, Suzanne Pharr, and Dorothy Allison.
UNL has a non-discrimination policy which includes sexual orientation. Some people on campus are currently working to add gender identity to that policy. We do not have domestic partner benefits. Resources on campus include an active Committee for GLBT Concerns, which consists of faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduates; a half-time director for GLBTA resources and programming; a gay men's discussion group; a lesbian, bi, and questioning women's discussion group; the Queer Student Association, and Queer People of Color. See the Committee for Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Concerns for a list of our meetings, and campus and community resources.
(Selected) Faculty: A Diversity of Teaching & Research Interests
- Barbara DiBernard–20th-Century U.S. women's literature, Lesbian literature, Literature and Disability, Feminist Pedagogy
- Amelia María de la Luz Montes–Chicana/Chicano and U.S. Latina/Latino literature and theory
- Hilda Raz–Women's and collaborative literatures; women and poetry; transgender studies
(Selected) Course Offerings
- ENGL 212: Lesbian & Gay Literature
- ENGL 245D: Chicana and/or Chicano Literature (sections taught by Professor Montes)
- ENGL 239: Film Directors: Gay and Lesbian Directors
- ENGL 401K/801K: Gay and Lesbian Drama
- ENGL 414B/814B: Twentieth-Century Women Writers: 20th and 21st Century Lesbian Literature
Academic Programs & Services
- Committee for Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Concerns--UNL
- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally (GLBTA) Programs and Services
- Women's and Gender Studies Program--UNL
