INVOLVING SEXUAL MINORITIES

While there is growing attention to sexual minorities in adult education (AE) and human resource development (HRD) literature, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people have received very little attention in AE or in HRD research. This article captures methodological issues and concerns from LBGTQ-related research from psychological, sociological, social work, and related bodies of knowledge, as well as lessons learned from the author’s empirical research, to inform and prepare AE and HRD researchers regarding the greater complexities in conceptualizing research on LGBTQ populations, potential ethical dilemmas, and specific safeguards that may be appropriate for LGBTQ research participants. Brekhus (2003) alleges that mainstream social theory has tended to ghettoize theoretical issues relating to sexual minorities (as well as those relating to feminists and multicultural concerns) into special enclaves of knowledge about specific groups rather than integrating them more broadly into general theory development. He argues that studies of gays and lesbian