In the spring of 2003, I taught a course on lesbian and gay social formation in the United States from World War II to the present. As a recently hired assistant professor, since the course was newly developed in specific response to student interest I had high hopes for its success. It was also one way of feeling out the pedagogical and academic atmosphere at a new institution, and I worked very hard on developing the syllabus and insuring that the classroom atmosphere was open, convivial, and responsive. Overall, it was a joy to teach, and I looked forward each week to being in the seminar room with the eighteen engaged, bright, and interested students who had enrolled in the class. Most of my students were lesbians, with a handful of gay men and straight women, all of whom seemed to have a passionate but friendly investment in the course topic. Given the similar sexual orientations of most of the participants, we quickly developed a chummy atmosphere that was sustained throughout the semester, and I felt the course ended well. That is, until I received my student evaluations.
