I've completely changed: the transforming impact of the Matthew Shepard Scholarship.

summary

This article describes the impact of receiving the Matthew Shepard Scholarship (a 4-year, full scholarship) on 8 students who were openly gay or lesbian in high school. Previous literature, while limited, paints a decidedly bleak picture of the prospects for gay and lesbian youth. However, this previous research is often based on students in therapy or otherwise exhibiting maladjustment and ignores those youth who are successful. Through a narrative structure, the 8 students described their experiences with harassment, fear, social isolation, and other difficulties before overcoming these challenges and being selected as a Matthew Shepard Scholar. In addition to the experience of coming out, receiving this award represented a further point of transformation in their lives. The honor and recognition of receiving the scholarship further magnified their confidence, aspirations, and educational opportunities. Educators often fail to recognize the talents and promise of gay and lesbian students. The narratives of these students serve to highlight the achievements, as well as the struggles, of gay and lesbian youth in our nation's high schools. The students' accounts of the scholarship suggest that educators and researchers should not be derailed by debates about sexual orientation, but rather, they should focus on their obligation to develop the potential of all students. In particular, educators should establish safe and nurturing educational environments by addressing harassment issues and establishing awareness workshops for faculty and staff. Through these efforts, the talents of students can be developed and their promise realized.

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Of all the topics within education, issues surrounding gay and lesbian students may be the least commonly researched and chronicled. Despite the fact that gay and lesbian characters are increasingly present in the media, the cultural debate about gay rights burns hotter than ever. Research into the experiences of gay and lesbian youth is very limited, especially when compared to other topics in education (Harris & Bliss, 1997; Kielwasser & Wolf, 1994; O'Conor, 1995; Rofes, 1995). Although some form of sex education is almost universal in school curricula, information on sexual orientation is typically considered out of bounds.

The near-toxic environment often faced by gay and lesbian students also discourages many from disclosing their sexual orientation. Unks (2003) called high schools "the most homophobic institutions in American society" (p. 323). Therefore, it is not surprising that the lives of gay and lesbian high school students are so seldom studied. Their reluctance to identify themselves is understandable and has presented practical challenges for researchers.

When gay and lesbian students do get consideration in the literature, a bleak and disturbing picture typically takes shape. The small body of research often reveals a host of problems and dangers associated with being a sexual minority in school. These negatives include how sexual orientation issues are, if addressed at all, almost always handled in a negative light. This is often because educators are unprepared or unwilling to do otherwise (Fontaine, 1997; Sears, 1988, 1992; Telljohann & Price, 1993). Some other common themes include social isolation (Blumenfeld, 1995; Elia, 1993), verbal and physical harassment (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network [GLSEN], 2003; Human Rights Watch [HRW], 2001), low self-esteem and internalized homophobia (Gonisorek & Rudolf, 1991; Herek, 1984), poor school performance (Jordan, Vaughan & Woodworth, 1997), and suicidal ideation (Massachusetts Department of Education, 2003; Owens, 1998). Other reports detail substance abuse (Hetrick & Martin, 1987; Remafedi, 1990) and unwanted pregnancies, disease, and prostitution (Pederson, 1994; Russell, 1989).

Recently, however, a handful of scholars have begun to question this problem-centered view, arguing that there are major flaws in much of the research and conclusions. Kielwasser and Wolf (1994) noted that many of these conclusions have come from nonrepresentative samples of students who were already involved in counseling and therapy programs. Others, such as Raissiguier (1997), concluded that the overemphasis on the problems of gay and lesbian youth actually obscures "the fact that most [gay and lesbian] teenagers [like most straight ones] suffer through but survive adolescence" (p. 35).

In addition, this problem-centered view does a disservice to gay and lesbian youth by failing to adequately consider the strengths and potential these young people have. The negative focus ignores research that concludes that most gay and lesbian youth appear to be socially well adjusted and psychologically healthy (Savin-Williams, 1990). Miceli (2002) echoed this conclusion, arguing that much of the research is

 
   ... giving the impression that homosexuality invariably 
   leads to suffering and unhappiness.... What such a perspective 
   misses is an understanding of GLB youth who 
   have successfully avoided such negative experiences and 
   outcomes, and the variables that contributed to such success. 
   (p. 203) 

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to examine the impact of receiving the Matthew Shepard Scholarship (a 4-year, full scholarship) on 8 students who were openly gay or lesbian in high school. With this context in place, we now shift attention to understanding the origins and impetus of the Matthew Shepard Scholarship.

The Matthew Shepard Scholarship

The Matthew Shepard Scholarship began in 2000 following the antigay murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in 1998. The privately funded scholarship covers books, tuition, and fees for up to 4 years at an Iowa Regent's University and is awarded with the blessing of the Shepard family, although they are not directly involved with the scholarship. The scholarship, which is awarded annually to openly gay or lesbian graduates of Iowa high schools, is based on academic aptitude, academic achievement, community service, and financial need. Typically, between three and seven full scholarships are awarded each year, along with honorary awards of $500. If the scholarship committee identifies more than three deserving applicants, it may award more than three full scholarships. The scholarship has steadily grown over the past 8 years and is underwritten by a private charitable foundation, in association with Iowa Pride Network, and a regional community center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) persons.

The scholarship's roots can be traced to the experiences and generosity of the scholarship's founder, Rich Eychaner. Growing up in a Midwestern college town, Rich recounted his family's struggles through the Depression, as well as their steadfast belief in the value and merits of a quality education. His father dropped out of college due to financial difficulties and never returned. His mother, who was a teacher and school board member for many years, helped solidify the value of education in Rich's mind.

Influenced by these lessons, Rich later developed a generous tuition and fees scholarship for local high school students. That award sought to honor the lessons taught by Rich's parents and provide educational opportunity for local high school students, based on minority status, race, national origin, ethnicity, physical challenge, or sexual orientation. These application criteria were combined with academic aptitude, academic achievement, community service, and financial need. After 10 years, however, no one had applied under the sexual orientation provision. At about the same time, Matthew Shepard was murdered in Wyoming.

That event crystallized the need for a new scholarship. Rich explained that "... this was a transforming experience for the country and for an awful lot of gay and lesbian people, as well as nongay and lesbian people around the country." He saw an opportunity to begin building the type of network that was missing in the earlier scholarship. "I wanted to build networks with the kids, so that they didn't operate as isolated ships in the nights ... we've built convoys ..." (personal interview, August 19, …