Karen Graves, an associate professor of education at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, discussed her new book, "And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida's Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers," Friday to about 30 students and faculty in the Norman Hall Terrace Room.
The book delves into the statewide persecution of homosexual educators.
Graves said homosexual teachers were persecuted in Florida from 1957 to 1963. She said they were interrogated, tried in court and fired during the course of the purge.
By April 1963, about 71 teaching certificates had been revoked, she said.
"They [accused teachers] found ways to resist," Graves said. "It wasn't enough resistance for them to win, but it was good to see they were not simply passive."
In her lecture, Graves said that although the purge of Florida's homosexual educators occurred before the peak of the gay and lesbian movement, it has important implications for American culture today.
She said the current gay rights movement will not be complete until society accepts gay and lesbian teachers.
