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Institutional Silence: Experiences of Australian Lesbian Teachers Working in Catholic High Schools
Abstract
This article, based on the author's doctoral research, examines the ways in which some religious schools in New South Wales (NSW), via institutional practices, maintain and perpetuate discrimination in relation to lesbian teachers and lesbian sexualities. These institutional practices, which included threats of dismissal, forced resignations, implicit harassment, monitoring and surveillance, curriculum silences, and censorship, silence lesbian sexualities and impact the teacher's daily operations and freedom of speech. Vicarious witnessing of these forms of punishment (in the Foucauldian sense) further ensures the silencing of lesbian identities. Moreover, statewide anti-discrimination legislation, which excludes some private institutions from compliance in the area of sexuality, serves to reinforce discriminatory practices, and ultimately silenced the various violence perpetuated against many of the participants in this research.
... These implications include the potential for reduced employment security and promotion (Ullman & Smith, 2018). Although there is no significant evidence to suggest that gender and sexuality diverse teachers are dismissed or disadvantaged in these environments regularly, the threat of dismissal comes into play when considering how teachers navigate their setting, including whether they seek out promotional opportunities, as these can increase visibility and consequentially, risk (Ferfolja, 2005;Lee, 2019). ...
... Being an LGB teacher also impacts relationship building. For example, Ferfolja (2005) found that some Australian lesbian-identifying teachers described how this particular identity made it challenging to build authentic relationships within school communities, as there were limits in what they felt safe discussing at work, which is pertinent to both identity management and adverse experiences unique to being a lesbian-identifying teacher. Because relationships are considered to be a central element in successful teaching, this can create a significant barrier for lesbian-identifying teachers to thrive in their profession (Hooker, 2018;Howard et al., 2020). ...
... However, the research by Babie (2021) provides a review of the laws and their powers, rather than the impacts of religious freedom laws on LGB individuals. Research by Ferfolja (2005) on LGB teachers in Australian Catholic schools has revealed that many participants' interactions with students were monitored by leadership staff. Some expressed that they were being suspected of paedophilia or that leadership felt they were aiming to recruit students to an LGB identity (Ferfolja, 2005). ...
The lived experiences and minority stress of lesbian-identifying
teachers in Australia contribute to ongoing compromised social
and wellbeing outcomes for this cohort of people. While past
research focuses on lesbian, gay and bisexual teachers as
a collective, research specifically examining lesbian teachers within
the Australian context, is limited, ultimately presenting a lack of
representation to experiences unique to this specific cohort of
teachers. Drawing upon the lived experiences of four lesbian-
identifying teachers in Australian primary and secondary schools,
and employing Ilan Meyer’s minority stress model, we present an
analysis which delineates the adverse experiences still present in
the working lives of lesbian teachers. We highlight the diverse
adversities they experience because of the intersection between
their sexualities and professional identities. Through thematic analysis, the study developed three themes related to 1) social influences of teachers’ context, 2) adverse experiences unique to being a lesbian-identifying teacher, 3) and identity management. This study contributes to knowledge regarding the unique experiences and minority stressors of lesbian teachers and provides specific insights to the challenges still present and felt for this cohort ofteachers.
... Of particular interest in my examination of the literature is the impact of the Catholic school context on queer teachers. It must be noted that there have not been many studies done which look exclusively at the subject of queer teachers and Catholic schools (Everitt, 2010;Ferfolja, 2005;Getz & Kirkley, 2006;Litton, 1999;Maher, 2007). What is discovered does not diverge widely from the information found in the literature as a whole. ...
... This literature exposes greater social narratives through the particular lens of a single personal experience. The largest portion of the literature employs the stories of queer-teacher participants as its data (DeJean, 2010;Endo et al., 2010;Evans, 2002;Ferfolja, 2005;Gray, 2013Gray, , 2014Griffin, 1991;Harris & Jones, 2014;Litton, 1999;Neary, 2014;Nixon & Givens, 2004;Rudoe, 2010;Taylor, 2011;Woods & Harbeck, 2012). This subset within the literature houses a number of differing strategies for gathering and analyzing these stories, though the number of participants are consistenly small. ...
... Research focused mainly on the question of teacher identity and negotiation of the professional world. Pride of place in current research goes to formal interviews (DeJean, 2010;Gray, 2013Gray, , 2014Endo et al., 2010;Evans, 2002;Harris & Jones, 2014;Ferfolja, 2005;Litton, 1999;Neary, 2014;Nixon & Givens, 2004;Rudoe, 2010;Taylor, 2011;Woods & Harbeck, 2012). Some queer researchers have examined their own teaching experience and produced knowledge through auto-ethnographic means (Cummings, 2009;Gust, 2007;J. ...
Queer-teacher lives aren’t easy! They experience isolation and bifurcation of their lives on a daily basis. How much more difficult must life be for these teachers in the theologically heteronormative context of the Catholic school? Yet, these teachers remain educators in these institutions, sensing goodness in what they are doing and in the future of these schools. Inspired by this interesting reality of tension, this study asks two important questions. First, how do queer teachers understand their identities as constructed in a Catholic school? Secondly, it wants to know what action teachers will take when they have come to an answer about their constructed identities. This dissertation incorporates queer studies, liberation theology, and critical pedagogy into a bricolage theory to fully address the intersectional lives of its participants. With a methodological approach informed by the ethics of culturally responsive research, this participatory action research begins from a moment of dialogical praxis towards the hope of social engagement. Crafted as a retreat in which queer educators share their stories of working in these institutions, this unique research incorporates the participants into the analysis process as essential actors in understanding the meaning of their own lives. The study reveals the perceptions of queer teachers about the ways that schools make meaning of their role in the educational environment as well as how they make meaning of their lives. Three major themes, “doing queer,” “being queer,” and “enforcing queer” show that these teachers are part of a complex reality in which their identities and performances in Catholic schools are dictated by the pull and push of fear enforced x through many channels in the Catholic school. These themes also show that teachers are actively making new meaning about themselves and acting in ways that seek to dismantle oppression in their institutions. The study also reveals a vibrant spirituality which emerges from the daily experience of being queer in a Catholic school. Geared towards social justice, this spirituality invites us to reimagine that work for social justice may mean pushing into oppression through a paschal victimhood which transforms institutions fundamentally from within.
... There is some evidence that when anti-discrimination legislative protection is introduced, 4 LGB teachers experience a climate of support following 'coming out' and some describe new 5 feelings of safety and security, noting how their school leaders lean on anti-discrimination 6 legislation to foster inclusive schools (Ferfolja, 2009). But reliance on legislation as a 7 mechanism for improving the lives of LGB teachers has been treated with scepticism (Khayatt,8 1997; Ferfolja, 2005). Some note that enacting protective legislation does not ensure that LGB Everywhere I turn, even in the failure of memory, reminds me how the family home 27 objects on display that measure sociality in terms of the heterosexual gift…Such 28 objects do not simply record or transmit a life; they demand a return. ...
... 9 teachers are more likely to disclose or feel secure on a daily basis(Connell, 2015;Lee, 2019) 10 and does little to combat covert or subtle workings of heteronormativity or homophobia 11(Ferfolja, 2005;Ferfolja, 2009). ...
The personal/professional boundary poses particular difficulties for LGB teachers because of the pervasive presumption of heterosexuality. Furthermore, the teaching profession’s concern with the care of children combines with reductive ideas about sexuality and gender identity to pose specific vulnerabilities for LGB teachers. In many contexts worldwide, legislative structures such as Civil Partnership and Marriage Equality are being introduced and this is changing the terms of recognition for LGB teachers. At the same time, deficiencies and ambiguities persist in employment legislation, often through religious exemptions that pose specific threats to LGB teachers. For many LGB teachers who enter into a legal structure such as marriage, these legislative gaps suddenly become more threatening. This paper makes a new and timely contribution by capturing how, across a seven-year time period in Ireland, LGB teachers have experienced three legislative moments – ‘Civil Partnership’, ‘Marriage Equality’ and the amendment of religious exemption 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act. Building from an analysis of three qualitative studies (2012, 2015 and 2018), this paper attends to some of the compromised conditions of legislative change and argues for closer attention to the micro-political texture of gender and sexuality in education contexts.
... Studies utilising a Foucauldian approach to viewing social structures, strategies and discursive practices in schools have been both theorised and undertaken in recent years (for example : Ferfolja 2005;Horton 2011;Martino 2000;Ryan and Morgan 2011;Walton 2005b). Each of these reject the assumption of traditional understandings of bullying and reposition bullying as being part of social, cultural and institutional discourses of punishment and regulation. ...
... Rather than simply reflecting the dominant sexual ideology of broader society, schools actively produce gender and sexual divisions (Mac an Ghaill 1994) through their material environments, policies, intra-actions and practices. This phenomenon has been labelled in various research productions as institutional heteronormativity (DePalma and Atkinson 2010; DePalma and Jennett 2010; Ferfolja 2005Ferfolja , 2007Røthing 2008); that is, the ways in which schools produce and re-affirm heterosexuality as either the norm or the only possibility through institutional processes. Epstein and Johnson suggest that the ideological focus should alternatively be 'to make "heterosexuality" the problematic term ' (1994, p. 197). ...
... Studies utilising a Foucauldian approach to viewing social structures, strategies and discursive practices in schools have been both theorised and undertaken in recent years (for example : Ferfolja 2005;Horton 2011;Martino 2000;Ryan and Morgan 2011;Walton 2005b). Each of these reject the assumption of traditional understandings of bullying and reposition bullying as being part of social, cultural and institutional discourses of punishment and regulation. ...
... Rather than simply reflecting the dominant sexual ideology of broader society, schools actively produce gender and sexual divisions (Mac an Ghaill 1994) through their material environments, policies, intra-actions and practices. This phenomenon has been labelled in various research productions as institutional heteronormativity (DePalma and Atkinson 2010; DePalma and Jennett 2010; Ferfolja 2005Ferfolja , 2007Røthing 2008); that is, the ways in which schools produce and re-affirm heterosexuality as either the norm or the only possibility through institutional processes. Epstein and Johnson suggest that the ideological focus should alternatively be 'to make "heterosexuality" the problematic term ' (1994, p. 197). ...
The phenomenon of bullying is undoubtedly one of the most prominent, divisive and inflammatory issues faced by schools and educational policy makers in contemporary times. In reflection of this, it has received extensive attention in academic, political and popular discourses over the last few decades. The ways in which it has been constructed in these arenas has impacted upon perspectives and actions related to intervention and policies, as well as individuals involved in bullying incidents.
... One observation that has implications for this study is that those who are able to come out of the closet (that is, be open about their LGBTQ status) are doing so almost exclusively in nonreligious schools. Faith-based schools are not usually safe spaces to address the needs of sexual minority groups, and those who have tried have often experienced negative repercussions (Callaghan, 2007;Ferfolja, 2005;Grace & Wells, 2005;Litton, 2001;P. G. Love, 1997;Maher, 2003;Maher & Sever, 2007). ...
... The fear of experiencing reprisals for acting on their sexuality forces many sexually active LGBTQ individuals into a type of Foucauldian self-surveillance during their time in Catholic schools. The few studies on the experiences of nonheterosexuals in Catholic schools are predominantly American or Australian (Ferfolja, 2005;Litton, 2001;P. G. Love, 1997;Maher, 2003) and may not apply to publicly funded Catholic schools in Canada, where the political and cultural climate is somewhat different, largely because of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ...
Drawing from the author's 5-year, multimethod qualitative study, this article argues that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students in Canadian Catholic schools are not inherently mentally ill, passive victims in need of special Catholic pastoral care; instead, they are activists who strongly resist homophobic oppression in school. This article concentrates on three youth activists, whose stories are analyzed through narrative inquiry and are contextualized in the larger study's methodology. The article concludes that antihomophobia education efforts should not overlook potential student leaders in Catholic schools.
... 290). They go on to state that although there is little evidence of LGBTI teachers being dismissed from employment in Australian Catholic schools, research by Ferfolja (2005) reveals that the threat of dismissal has been used to both silence and harass LGBTI teachers working in the Australian Catholic education system. (p. ...
... Unter Berücksichtigung internationaler Studien zu LGB-und in Teilen auch T(IQ)-Lehrkräften (Griffin 1991;Ferfolja 2005;DePalma/Atkinson 2006;Russell 2010;Rudoe 2010;Connell 2014;Gray 2013;Fahie 2016;Neary 2013;Neary/Gray/ O'Sullivan 2017) deuten diese Ergebnisse auf subjektive Aushandlungsprozesse zwischen den privaten respektive geschlechtlich-sexuellen und den pädagogisch-professionellen Anteilen der eigenen Person hin, die auf sogenannte Identity Managment Strategies verweisen. Die beiden Anteile scheinen hier in einer Diskrepanz zueinander zu stehen, die in diesem Ausmaß nicht von heterosexuellen und cis-geschlechtlichen Lehrkräften erlebt wird. ...
Geschlechtliche und sexuelle Vielfalt ist im Schulalltag zunehmend präsent, nimmt darin jedoch nach wie vor eine prekäre Position ein – dies betrifft nicht nur LGBTIQ*-Kinder und -Jugendliche, sondern ebenso pädagogische Fachkräfte. Ausgehend von einer kritisch-dekonstruktiven Pädagogik rekonstruiert die Studie soziale Deutungsmuster über den Umgang mit und Thematisierung von vielfältigen Lebensweisen in der Schule. Dies geschieht auf Basis von qualitativen Interviews mit lesbischen, schwulen, bi- und heterosexuellen sowie inter-, trans*- und cisgeschlechtlichen Lehrkräften. Das Buch leistet damit einen innovativen Beitrag zu einem bislang kaum erforschten Themengebiet der Erziehungswissenschaft und liefert hierdurch neue Impulse für die Professionalisierung von Lehrkräften.
Mit dem Forschungsstil der Grounded Theory Methodology wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie Lehrkräfte verschiedener Schulformen das Spannungsverhältnis von Wandel und Kontinuität heteronormativer Macht- und Herrschaftsverhältnisse wahrnehmen, und herausgestellt, welche pädagogischen Handlungsorientierungen sie aus sozialen Deutungsmustern ableiten. Unter dem Begriff der post-heteronormativen Professionsambivalenz wird erörtert, wie in Rekurs auf die Deutungsmuster der Dethematisierung, Fragmentierung und Responsibilisierung disparate Grade der institutionellen Zuständigkeit und professionellen pädagogischen Verantwortung gegenüber vielfältigen Lebensweisen ausgehandelt und diskursiv legitimiert werden.
... 290). They go on to state that "Although there is little evidence of LGBTI teachers being dismissed from jobs in Australian Catholic schools, research by Ferfolja (2005) has shown us that the threat of dismissal has been used to both silence and harass LGBTI teachers working in the Australian Catholic education system" (p. 290). ...
... In this regard, their work speaks to the observations of Love and Tosolt (2013), who draw attention to the challenges queer students face in navigating the heteronormativity of all-girls' Catholic schools in the USA. Ferfolja (2005) has shed light on the exclusionary, heteronormative practices affecting lesbian teachers in Australian Catholic high schools, while Neary (2013Neary ( , 2017 and Fahie (2016Fahie ( , 2017 have attended to the ambiguous challenges queer teachers have experienced in confronting the heteronormativity of religious school systems in the Republic of Ireland. ...
... Although state schools in Australia protect those with LGBTQ+ identities, Gray et al. (2016) highlights that such protection is not offered by independent and religious schools and that teachers within these schools are obliged to uphold any religious ethos. Ferfolja's (2008) research demonstrates that within the Australian Catholic schooling system, contractual obligations and the threat of dismissal are used to silence those with LGBTQ+ identities. ...
Existing literature is dominated by accounts which position gay teachers as victims. We were concerned that this only presented a partial insight into the experiences of gay teachers. This study researched the personal and professional experiences of four gay teachers in England. It builds on existing research by presenting positive narratives rather than positioning gay teachers as victims. We use the term “chalkface” to illustrate that all were practicing teachers. The purpose of the study was to explore their experiences as gay teachers throughout their careers. The study used the life history method to create narratives of each participant. Semi-structured interviews were used. The study found that the repeal of Section 28 in England in 2003 did not have an immediate effect on the identities, resilience, and agency of the participants. The 2010 Equality Act in England and changes to the school inspection framework had a greater influence in supporting their agency, resilience, and willingness to merge personal and professional identities. All but one participant managed to use their identities as gay teachers to advance inclusion and social justice through the curriculum. Although the narratives that we have presented do illuminate some negative experiences, the accounts are largely positive, in contrast with existing literature which positions gay teachers as victims.
... LGBT-Q teachers also experience religious and cultural constraints (Ferfolja 2005;Neary 2013) and religious 'ethos' is a very real threat of dismissal in many international contexts (see, for example, The Guardian, 2013). Religious 'ethos' has particular implications in Ireland because of the religious governance of schools. 2 Until 2015, Section 37 (1) of the Employment Equality Act permitted non-compliance with religious 'ethos' as legal grounds for recruiting and dismissing employees in religious institutions such as schools. ...
... LGBT-Q teachers also experience religious and cultural constraints (Ferfolja 2005;Neary 2013) and religious 'ethos' is a very real threat of dismissal in many international contexts (See for example, The Guardian 2013). Religious 'ethos' has particular implications in Ireland because of the religious governance of schools ii . ...
Schools are quasi-public/private organisations and being a teacher involves negotiating personal and professional boundaries. These boundaries have posed particular challenges for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBT-Q) teachers whose everyday lives are complicated by legislative, religious and cultural constraints, moral panics about childhood innocence, reductive discourses about sexuality and negative stereotypes. In many contexts, the past decade has seen rapid change in the politics of sexuality as legal structures for same-sex relationships have emerged and promised normalisation for LGBT-Q people. Such developments raise questions about how these changing politics of sexuality are spilling over into school contexts. In Ireland, entering into a civil partnership (CP) altered the shape of LGB teachers’ relations with their colleagues in schools. But neoliberal systems of performance and accountability coalesce with a persisting uncomfortable relationship between LGBT-Q identification and schooling ensuring that LGBT-Q teachers have different kinds of relations with parents and students. This paper provides new insight into these relations as LGB teachers entered into a CP. I argue that their work to manage these relations had ambivalent effects. Fore-fronting a high-performing professional subjectivity and maintaining distances with students while acting as agents of change (re)produced heteronormativity but simultaneously enabled moments that promised queer, transgressive potential.
... The second group of studies explores the experiences of marginalised Christians, such as-but not limited to-gay and lesbian Christians. Yip (2010) categorises studies in this area into several themes: struggle to negotiate religious and sexual/gender identity (e.g., Maher 2006;Yip 1999), unique ways of believing and practising Christian faith (Gross and Yip 2010;Yip 2002), the intersectionality of sexual identity with broader social networks (Ferfolja 2005;Yip 1997b), and spiritual experience outside the traditional religious and spiritual space (Thumma and Gray 2005). Some studies document diverse church responses to homosexuality, such as accepting, supporting, rejecting, punishing, and so on (e.g., Holben 2000; Kirkley and Getz 2007). ...
In this chapter Teguh Wijaya Mulya narrates his personal journey(s)— academic and spiritual—in the first year of his doctoral study. He details the excitement and struggles in embracing poststructuralism and queer theory to
comprehend the knowledge in the field of sexuality. Unexpectedly, these theoretical frameworks further excavated the epistemological foundations of his Christian faith. How can queer theory be “reconciled” with Christianity? As Teguh embarks on this adventure, he invites other doctoral students to travel with him, particularly those who find that PhD is a life-changing journey in which their basic beliefs are turned upside-down.
... For LGBT-Q teachers, religion has largely been perceived as a problem as they negotiate their everyday lives at school (Ferfolja, 2009). Religious ideals around sexuality operate in subtle ways to shape cultural norms and practices in many school contexts (Love, 1998) and these 'invisibly deployed' messages ensure reluctance and anxiety around disclosing a LGBT-Q identification (Neary, 2013;Ferfolja, 2005). Religious exemptions in equality law have also been a source of concern for LGBT-Q teachers, leaving them feeling 'vulnerable and exposed' in schools under religious patronage (Fahie, 2016, p. 403). ...
As legal structures for same-sex relationships are introduced in many contexts, the politics of sexuality are negotiated along religious/secular lines. Religious and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBT-Q) rights are pitted against one another such that LGBT-Q lives often assumed to be secular. Schools are crucibles of intermingling religious, secular and equality discourses and this complexity is carefully negotiated by LGBT-Q teachers in their everyday lives. Drawing on a study with LGB teachers as they entered into a Civil Partnership in Ireland (a legal structure in place for five years prior to enactment of Marriage Equality in 2015), this paper captures a ‘structure of feeling’ – new cultural work done as sexuality norms were in a state of flux. The teachers’ accounts unravel the religious/secular binary and provide insight of universal interest into the ambivalent, messy ways in which the politics of sexuality are (re)negotiated across the overlapping social fields of religion and education.
... There is a significant body of research that highlights the multifarious intricacies of negotiating school life as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ)-identified teacher (Clarke, 1996;Ferfolja, 2005;2007a;2007b;Griffin, 1991;Harbeck, 1992;Khayatt, 1992;Rudoe, 2010;Russell, 2010). The politics of visibility and the 'coming out'/staying in binary are far more complex than is often assumed and these complexities are at the centre of an array of issues experienced by LGBTQ-identified teachers (Gray, 2013;Neary, 2013;Rasmussen, 2004b). ...
This short volume aims to engage with the study of queer teachers internationally. It offers new ways of thinking about queer teacher practices and perspectives, away from the deficit positioning of queer teachers and towards a critical engagement with queer teachers as local, national and international queer subjects. As a truly international collective of researchers we address the complexities of what it means to interrogate ‘queerness’ in a contemporary western climate that would like to believe that we are all, finally, equal, yet which continues to marginalize queer students, teachers and others. We hope that this new volume offers academics, educators and students a provocative extension of this pivotal topic for contemporary educators and sociologists more broadly.
... Th e new forms of heterosexual boundary maintenance at gay-friendly high schools, alongside the consolidation of a heterosexual identity, warrant a shift in analysis from studying overt homophobia to investigating heteronormativity and implicit homophobia in school settings (Ferfolja, 2005 ;Russell, 2005 ). Limited scholarship exists on heteronormativity in educational settings (Atkinson & DePalma, 2009 ;Ferfolja, 2007 ), and this tends to focus on the exclusion of gay students in schools (Wilkinson & Pearson, 2009 ). ...
... There is a significant body of research that highlights the multifarious intricacies of negotiating school life as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ)-identified teacher (Clarke, 1996;Ferfolja, 2005;2007a;2007b;Griffin, 1991;Harbeck, 1992;Khayatt, 1992;Rudoe, 2010;Russell, 2010). The politics of visibility and the 'coming out'/staying in binary are far more complex than is often assumed and these complexities are at the centre of an array of issues experienced by LGBTQ-identified teachers (Gray, 2013;Neary, 2013;Rasmussen, 2004). ...
LGBTQI teachers in Ireland experience identity conflicts and struggles with school culture as they negotiate the processes of ‘coming out’ in their school contexts (Neary, 2013). This chapter draws on an interpretive analysis of qualitative data generated from the interviews and written reflections of 15 primary and second-level teachers (who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual) while entering into a civil partnership in Ireland. This chapter asserts that the mechanism of CP — a very recent institution in Irish society — brings feelings of confidence and legitimacy for those teachers who avail of it. However, forces of normalisation contribute to the perpetuation of certain ‘acceptable’ norms (re)assigning others with peripheral status.
... Independent and religious schools are not subject to state legislation in the area of LGBTQ teachers' rights and religious schools in particular can ask that teachers employed by them sign a document stating that they will uphold the 'religious ethos' of the school -failure to uphold this contractual obligation could result in dismissal. Although there is little evidence of LGBTQ teachers being dismissed from jobs in Australian Catholic schools, research by Ferfolja (2005) has shown us that the threat of dismissal has been used to both silence and harass LGBTQ teachers working in the Australian Catholic education system. ...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) teachers are a marginalised group that historically have been absent from research on sexuality and schooling. Rather, much research in the field has focused upon the experiences of same sex attracted and increasingly, gender diverse young people in schools, as well as the delivery of sexuality education. Up until recently, very little research has been carried out that explicitly addresses the experiences of LGBTQ teachers, particularly within the Australian context. This article focuses upon key issues arising from the semi-structured interviews that the Out/In Front team carried out as part of a pilot study that took place between April and July 2013 in the state of Victoria, Australia. We interviewed nine current or former teachers working within primary and secondary education across the public, Catholic and private sectors. This paper focuses upon the notion that LGBTQ teachers exist within a ‘space of exclusion’ that is dominated by discursive mechanisms that (re)produce heteronormativity. We also argue that the Victorian policy context – as well as increasing socio-political tolerance for LGBTQ people within Australia – enables LGBT teachers to interrupt the discursive frameworks within which their professional lives are situated.
... Th e new forms of heterosexual boundary maintenance at gay-friendly high schools, alongside the consolidation of a heterosexual identity, warrant a shift in analysis from studying overt homophobia to investigating heteronormativity and implicit homophobia in school settings (Ferfolja, 2005 ;Russell, 2005 ). Limited scholarship exists on heteronormativity in educational settings (Atkinson & DePalma, 2009 ;Ferfolja, 2007 ), and this tends to focus on the exclusion of gay students in schools (Wilkinson & Pearson, 2009 ). ...
Research has traditionally shown high schools to be hostile environments for LGBT youth. Boys have used homophobia to prove their masculinity and distance themselves from homosexuality. Despite these findings over the last three decades, The Declining Significance of Homophobia tells a different story. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews of young men in three British high schools, Dr. Mark McCormack shows how heterosexual male students are inclusive of their gay peers and proud of their pro-gay attitudes. He finds that being gay does not negatively affect a boy's popularity, but being homophobic does.
Yet this accessible book goes beyond documenting this important shift in attitudes towards homosexuality: McCormack examines how decreased homophobia results in the expansion of gendered behaviors available to young men. In the schools he examines, boys are able to develop meaningful and loving friendships across many social groups. They replace toughness and aggression with emotional intimacy and displays of affection for their male friends. Free from the constant threat of social marginalization, boys are able to speak about once feminized activities without censure. The Declining Significance of Homophobia is essential reading for all those interested in masculinities, education, and the decline of homophobia.
... Despite a growing concern for addressing the needs of children from racial, social, and ethnic minority groups in schools, sexualities equality still remains one area of inclusion that is rarely explicitly addressed. There is, however, ample evidence suggesting that non-heterosexual children and teachers are seriously disadvantaged in schools (Ferfolja, 2005;National Mental Health Association, 2005;Warwick, Chase, Aggleton, & Sanders, 2004). This may well be due at least partially to teachers' own insecurities and the powerful silencing force of heteronormativity in educational contexts (Epstein, O'Flynn, & Telford, 2003). ...
This paper analyses patterns of participation on a voluntary anonymous Web-based discussion forum, open to students and faculty in one UK university, concerning sexualities equality in schools. Analysis revealed that participants often rejected the security of anonymity and strategically embodied themselves and others (as gay, straight, parents, etc.) to provide authority and ethical grounding for certain arguments. These embodied arguments invited engagement and promoted dialogue. We found that while personal embodiments were crucial for meaningful interaction, they also brought the risk of personalizing systematic inequality and fostering a victimization discourse. In the light of this, we argue that both individual and collective perspectives are crucial for promoting sexualities equality in school.
Australian religious conservatives continue to argue that religiously affiliated schools should be able to discriminate based on the sexuality and/or gender identity of students. We argue that this discussion fails to adequately consider the serious harms that discrimination against LGBTQ+ educators has on LGBTQ+ and questioning students. The article uses data from an Australian qualitative study examining the experience of LGBTQ+ educators in religiously affiliated organisations. We describe how heteronormative/cisnormative discourses and discriminatory practices toward LGBTQ+ educators have a direct negative impact on LGBTQ+ students. Even in relatively inclusive schools, the heteronormative and cisnormative climate of the schools is damaging, not only for educators but also for LGBTQ+ students. These serious harms need to be given greater consideration in evaluating the arguments for discriminatory practices in religiously affiliated schools funded by the government to provide education to the general Australian population.
The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to explore how intersecting discourses of race, attractional orientation, and gender expression have influenced Author 2’s experiences as a Black, openly gay, gender-fluid middle school choir director. Rather than hiding his attractional orientation and gender expression, he leans into these characteristics, describing himself as “sassy and effeminate,” thereby challenging notions of compulsory heteroattraction, gender binaries, and whiteness in music education. He posits that being open with students is a vital component for establishing trust within his classroom, which he asserts is the foundation of good teaching. Black joy, Black Queer joy, and Queer Crit perspectives serve as theoretical lenses through which his story is discussed.
This paper examines the religiosity, sexuality, and attitudes towards same-sex relationships among young people who were students at religiously affiliated schools in Australia and the staff who work in these schools, drawing on a national representative survey. It demonstrates that students are increasingly nonreligious, and accepting of alternatively sexualities, and increasingly identify as lesbian, gay, and bisexual. The religiosity of staff has changed less, but teachers have become increasingly accepting of alternative sexualities. These changes are important because they present a very different picture of religiously affiliated education to that portrayed by the conservative religious authorities who shape the policies and practices in these schools. Conservative Christian church leaders are using discursive practices of religious freedom to support governmental techniques and institutional privilege within religiously affiliated educational contexts to constitute conservative sexual subjectivities among the general Australian public who work in and attend these schools.
The objective of the paper was to compare the technologies, techniques of reproduction and their use in seed production of potatoes. The paper describes the use of the most important achievements of biotechnology, advanced breeding methods and emerging technologies for solving practical problems in potato cultivation and increasing their resistance to diseases and improving their quality. The most important, safe techniques for the propagation of potato propagating material is in vitro micro-propagation. Among alternatives to conventional propagated potatoes, the Micropropagation, through the aeroponic system (soilless cultivation in the air) is a prospective method of potato cultivation in terms of food safety and sustainability, as the cultivation of plants happens in the air, without any substrate. The nutrient solution is injected into the root zone at short intervals. The biggest advantages are higher yield with optimal quality, reduced consumption of water and nutrients, operation in a closed system and safety for the environment. Thus, an effective method of cooling the root zone and improving plant growth at higher temperatures under glass, signifies advantages making it widely be used in agricultural practice and in the micro-tubers production, offering a high reproductive rate as the tuber harvesting is possible for several times during the growing season and pathogen-free propagation material. The emerging technology enabled methods enable the production of seed potatoes in areas unsuitable for agriculture, unfavourable climatic conditions, or tropics, and allows for considerable water savings.
Climate changes in the recent period, with a tendency to increase pedological and atmospheric droughts, determine Europe to choose new plant species that can more easily withstand thermal and hydrothermal stress, because the southern part of Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland is a natural background, who favouring of significant the impact of drought on crops. The importance of growing sweet potatoes is due both to the possibility of expanding the yield in areas where potatoes are degenerating and the need to diversify the vegetable assortment with less known species but with high nutritional value that will effectively use the mesoclimatic conditions, especially in sandy soil in of Romania, or Polish. New varieties of sweet potatoes to establish profitability of their cultivation in marginal soils in south-eastern and central-eastern Europe. The high nutritional, energy, pharmacological and fodder value of sweet potato is an important subject of scientific research, not only in America, Africa, and Asia, but also in Europe under the conditions of climate change. The content of basic substances, such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, carotenoids, anthocyanin’s, vitamins, minerals, and secondary metabolites, both in the root tubers and in sweet potato leaves, makes it a very nutritious herbaceous plant ensuring food safety for humans and animals. Sweet potato products can be effectively used as ingredients in food, medicine, cosmetics, but also as an energy base in European conditions and can compete with products imported from other continents.
This paper investigates intersecting rights and ways of thinking in faith-based schools. It outlines current legislative attempts to manage anti-discrimination in Australian schools and proposes a dialogic model of reciprocal anti-discrimination for educational leaders and administrators. This paper proposes that reciprocal anti-discrimination will require rigorous clarity in organisational beliefs, values and philosophies of education. Differences of power, prejudice and assumptions are also addressed. The goal of the proposed model is to find a way forward where rights and values intersect while supporting student and staff wellbeing and preserving religious and moral conscience.
The purpose of this study was to examine how four openly gay male music teachers in distinct US regions enacted Jose Muñoz’s vision of queer futurity within their respective campus environments. Data included field notes from a minimum of six class observations and 59 interviews divided between teachers, administrators, instructional colleagues in other subject areas, students, and students’ parents. Administrators at each school were highly supportive and indicated that gay representation provided a valuable contribution to their school’s commitment to diverse representation. Data also showed that when teachers were open about their sexuality, students felt empowered to live life by their own personal standards, rather than bowing to peer pressure.
Religiously affiliated schools employ a substantial portion of the Australian educational workforce. These religiously affiliated schools are exempt from Australian state‐based anti‐discrimination legislation in varying degrees. This can have a devastating effect on LGBT+ employees. While NSW has broad exemptions to anti‐discrimination legislation, in contrast Tasmanian anti‐discrimination legislation provides very limited exemptions. This paper examines and compares the experiences of ten LGBT+ teachers employed in religiously affiliated schools in Tasmania and New South Wales. The aim of this paper is to document the differing experiences of these LGBT+ teachers, examining whether the distinctive state‐based legislation has an impact on their lives. The small number of cases examined here suggests that the state difference in anti‐discrimination legislation has a significant impact on LGBT+ peoples’ job security and career development.
This paper engages with two overarching questions: why is engaging with queer theologies potentially valuable for sex education, and how can we carry out this kind of work without rendering sex education an expression of queer theological commitment? In responding to the first of these questions, I argue that working with queer theologies can offer sex education researchers another way of thinking about, and with, theology – one that resists positioning theology as inevitably heteronormative through its attention to the body, embraces the multiple possibilities of queer subjecthood, and attends to the importance of context in understanding how heteronormativity is both reproduced and resisted. Following this, I turn to the second question animating this paper, suggesting that if we are to avoid sex education sliding into an inevitable expression of queer theological commitment, what is needed is a methodology for the translation for sex education research, in which queer theologies can ‘meet’ with sex education without at the same time ‘merging’ with it. I demonstrate how this might be enacted through the symbol of the ‘Abrahamic threesome’, a queer symbolic device of my own design.
Religious institutions in the USA, under the First Amendment, exhibit great strength in employment termination, given freedom by the Supreme Court to conduct their labour and employment practices with limited scrutiny. This article examines ways in which a Presbyterian seminary board report, justifying its decision not to renew a professor's contract, demonstrates discrimination in its use of the 'good family' ideal prominent within conservative Christianity. Focusing on intertextuality and representation of the professor's wife, a disabled woman, analysis presents evidence of an overall strategy of exclusion. The report consistently demonstrates support for negative witness statements about the professor and his wife while undermining the professor's accounts. The report's characterization of the professor's wife subsumes her identity under her husband's and assumes moral reasons for her disability and chronic illness, consistent with a nouthetic counselling ethos. Findings support the discriminatory potential of the 'good family' ideal, underscoring employees' unique vulnerability within religious higher education institutions.
Viewing gender as an integral aspect of ‘bullying’ behaviours, especially related to issues of gendered and social hierarchies, is an important aspect of the poststructuralist approach to research on school bullying. As detailed in the previous chapter, many researchers (for example, Brown et al. 2007; Carrera et al. 2011; Ellwood and Davies 2010; Horton 2011; Meyer 2008a; Ringrose 2008; Ryan and Morgan 2011; Walton 2005b; Walton 2011; Warrington and Younger 2011) have encouraged a shift away from individualist and psychologised ideologies of bullying.
Sears and Herriot examine the complex interplay between and among religion, citizenship and social justice in education. Beginning with a discussion of the diverse ways individuals and groups understand these concepts, the chapter moves on to consider several key themes including: the idea that religion is a ubiquitous and persistent part of modern societies; the anomaly that religious people, groups, and institutions are sometimes the victims of social injustice and discrimination and sometimes the purveyors of those same things; and the fluid and contested nature of human rights. The chapter concludes by arguing that negotiating the complexities of the intersections between religion, citizenship and social justice requires a high degree of religious literacy.
This article addresses a research gap by analysing the way the Australian legal system is balancing the right to religious autonomy of organisations and the right of lgbti individuals not to be discriminated against, and considers what ought to be the case. I argue that the Australian legal system recognises the value of religious freedom on the one hand, and on the other hand, does not place a high priority on protecting it as an existing human right. My findings reveal that the Australian legal system is not always defining the religion and society relationship in ways that reflect the lived reality of religion in society. The issue is compounded by the wording of religious exemptions under anti-discrimination law which is contested within faith communities. As a consequence, religious freedom can be unfairly restricted. I conclude with recommendations to improve the status quo.
This article examines the academic literature that addresses the experiences of lesbian teachers working in western schooling systems. It illustrates that although all individuals have a right to work in a safe and secure context, lesbian teachers face an on-going trend of silencing, marginalization and discrimination in the workplace. Issues of harassment and the need to negotiate one's sexuality continue to prevail. Although lesbian and gay research has been a burgeoning field of enquiry over the last two decades, no comprehensive review has been published that specifically targets the professional lives of lesbian teachers. This is despite the potential use of such knowledge in the development of educational, recruitment, and social policy and/or anti-discrimination legislation. This compilation seeks to address this lacuna and to simultaneously raise both researcher and practitioner awareness of the ongoing limitations, obstacles and injustices faced by lesbian teachers in the workplace. It also importantly illustrates the theoretical developments in understanding such experience while highlighting that these women are not simply oppressed victims but possess power and agency.
This paper explores how some schooling cultures in New South Wales (hereafter NSW), Australia, police and silence non‐heterosexuality through a number of institutional processes which enable homophobia and heterosexism to flourish, while normalizing and constituting heterosexuality as the dominant and only valid sexuality. The discussion shows that despite an apparent broader societal ‘tolerance’ for non‐heterosexuality, as well as legislation that condemns anti‐‘homosexual’ discrimination in education in NSW, homophobic prejudice — often in the form of silence, omission and assumption — prevails. It illustrates that schools need to be much more aware and proactive in addressing issues pertaining to this social justice issue to ensure a safe and equitable learning and teaching environment for all members of the school community. There is not one but many silences, and they are an integral part of the strategies that underlie and permeate discourses. (Foucault, 197816.
Foucault , M. 1978. The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An introduction, Edited by:
Hurley , R. New York, NY: Vintage. View all references, p. 27) Lying is done with words, and also with silence. (Rich, 198036.
Rich , A. 1980/84. On lies, secrets and silence. Selected prose 1966–1978, London: Virago. View all references/84, p.186)
Discrimination often silences and marginalizes those who do not conform to the dominant gender and (hetero)sexual discourses that operate in broader society. This discussion addresses the ways that seventeen self‐identified lesbian teachers working in New South Wales (NSW) Australia negotiate their sexual subjectivities at work in order to pass or cover as heterosexual. Despite anti‐discrimination legislation aimed at protecting some basic rights of ‘homosexuals’ in NSW, many lesbian teachers still feel compelled to ‘manage’ their sexuality in the workplace. This paper examines how the discourses of privacy, heterosexuality and motherhood are strategically and at times powerfully used by these women in various contexts. Additionally, it explores the complex intersections of sexuality with age and space and their impact on passing.
Drawn from a larger study examining the experiences of lesbian teachers working in high schools across New South Wales (NSW), Australia, this article explores the ways in which interpersonal anti-lesbian harassment marginalises lesbian teachers. It relays some of the impacts harassment has on individuals, yet also shows that many of these teachers display instances of power, resistance and challenge to the surveillance, policing and regulatory regimes they encounter. Although anti-lesbian harassment can silence individuals, this paper illustrates that it also serves to catalyse the active embodiment and expression of sexual subjectivity.
This article reviews Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students: A Catholic Schools Perspective. Edited by Michael J. Bayly, this is a training manual that attempts to equip U.S. Catholic high-school teachers with methods and strategies for training other teacher colleagues in presenting a balanced perspective on the teachings of the Catholic Church related to homosexuality.
Previous research has demonstrated that LGBT students tend to have negative experiences of school, suffering social marginalisation and discrimination. One key reason for this has been the homophobia of heterosexual male students. However, my research into sixth forms in the south of England has documented a marked change in the attitudes of straight youth, who now espouse pro-gay attitudes. In this article, I explore how this changing social zeitgeist impacts on the school experiences of LGBT youth. Building on a four-month ethnography at a religious sixth form college, I present the experiences of four students: one gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered student. Highlighting the similarities and differences in their experiences, I demonstrate the positive influence decreasing homophobia has on all students, and I argue that it is necessary to focus on combating heteronormativity in school settings. Framing these findings using inclusive masculinity theory, I also explore the extent to which this theory has relevance for women.
The impact of homophobia and heterosexism on the e/quality of schooling experiences for many students and teachers in Australia places a responsibility on teacher education institutions to incorporate anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexist education in their courses. This discussion, based on research undertaken in universities across New South Wales, Australia, explores pre-service teacher educators’ perceptions of the importance and relevance of including anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexist education in teacher education courses. It examines how the application or avoidance of addressing these issues is a result of their positioning in discourses of personal investment and social justice, as well as their articulation in curriculum.
A properly sociological definition of the concept of discourse does not exist because the notion has never been detached from the linguistic sphere. Not only linguists and semiologists, but also sociologists, use the word primarily as a linguistic category. This article attempts to define the concept of discourse sociologically. It is argued that a sociologically defined notion should be dissociated from the linguistic realm. As a linguistic category, 'discourse' is either used as a synonym for language or text, or is closely associated with one of these notions. 'Discourse' in a sociological sense should refer to a class of texts. This definition confers upon the concept of discourse an intertextual dimension. Defined in this way, the category can not only become an operative sociological concept, but it also becomes autonomous and is no longer reducible to linguistic or paralinguistic conceptual entities, such as text or language. No longer confined to the linguistic realm, the concept can designate a particular entity which possesses its own existence. Discourse can become a thing in itself. The argument is presented in three parts. The first is a critique of the current definitions of the concept 'discourse'. The second proposes, as an alternative, a sociological definition of discourse. Finally the third part applies this new definition in a sociological analysis of journalism.
In post-apartheid South Africa, the tenets of inclusivity, nondiscrimination, and tolerance are actively encouraged and legislated across all sectors of society, including education. However, in examining the coming out experiences of 18 South African gay and lesbian youth (1997-2000), it became apparent that they had all experienced discrimination, isolation, and nontolerance within their high school contexts. Due to the marginalized nature of the participants, a variety of nonpurposive sampling techniques were utilized. This article provides insights into the homophobic incidents and experiences as articulated by these sexual minority youths, namely, peer harassment, harassment inflicted by teachers and school administrators, ineffective school counsellors, avoidance, rejection and isolation, and a lack of information and curriculum in high schools for gay and lesbian youth. Implications for practice are considered in the context of South Africa's new constitution and the implementation of Curriculum 2005.
The diversity and complexity of the lives of lesbian physical education teachers in secondary schools in England are the focus of this research, which begins from the standpoint of women. Like Smith (1987) I seek to make women the subject and not the object of analysis. The intention is to reveal something of their lived experiences and to challenge the oppressive structures that ‘force’ them to conceal their lesbian identity within the schooling context, and through this process give voice to their silenced voices (see Dewar 1991). At the same time it is acknowledged that we are all differently positioned and privileged and that this impacts on how we view and interpret our own lives as well as those we seek to understand. Thus, whilst I am arguing for the need to begin from the standpoint of the lives of these lesbian teachers, and to make their lived experiences central such a stance should not be viewed as a panacea and unproblematic. It is imperative that the differences between women are not obscured, nor any commonality falsely universalised. Such an approach for me involves a commitment to lesbian feminism, since as Jeffreys (1993: xii) aptly comments ‘... [it] transforms feminism by calling the naturalness of heterosexuality into doubt, by pointing out that it is a political institution and seeking to bring that institution to an end in the interests of women’s freedom and sexual self-determination.
Although lesbians and gay men in education have been an invisible population, modern computer information retrieval techniques provided a mechanism to investigate the history of case law on gay and lesbian teacher dismissal and credential revocation. This legal framework was then augmented by social history gathered from newspapers and articles, and interviews with the parties involved in the legal or political debates. After presenting a history of the emergence of legal rights and political influence, the author discusses current trends in the employment rights and personal freedomes of gay and lesbian educators.
This paper explores the multiplicity of ways in which lesbian physical education students and teachers construct and manage their respective identities within higher education and the schooling system in England. Attention is directed towards the politics of New Right discourses on sexuality and in particular to the prohibition of homosexuality and the passing of Section 28 of the Local Government Act in England and Wales in 1988 which created a climate of fear of loss of employment for many lesbian and gay teachers. Through the analysis of in‐depth interviews and questionnaires the lives of white, able‐bodied lesbian physical education students and teachers are explored. Narratives are utilised to illustrate how many are forced to comply with dominant discourses of hegemonic heterosexuality in order to ‘safely’ negotiate what for them is often an intolerant and hostile world. In concluding it is argued that sexual boundaries are fluid and that we need to construct a counter discourse to examine and challenge the privileging of heterosexuality.
This paper reflects on the issues that arise when pre-service teachers are introduced to lesbian and gay concerns in schooling. It explores pre-service teachers' resistance and their commonly espoused attitudes and beliefs, as well as the difficulties faced by teacher educators in challenging the myths, stereotypes and biases that exist in university classrooms. The paper highlights the perceived (ir)relevance of gay and lesbian issues to pre-service teachers, the belief that sexuality is not the concern of teachers or schools, pre-service teachers' assumption of 'compulsory heterosexuality' in both the university and school classrooms, and the pathologising of perceived lesbian and gay identities as the cause of individual discrimination. Such beliefs may pose numerous pedagogical, professional and personal concerns for the teacher educator. The need to address gay and lesbian issues with pre-service teachers is paramount in the light of the homophobic violence, vilification and discrimination experienced by individuals in schools.
Class‐room discipline, an issue of ‘power’ and ‘control’ for many teachers and students, is investigated in relation to teachers' attitudes towards stereotyped models of masculinity and femininity. Two important issues are considered; firstly, that what is generally regarded as appropriate gender behaviour by teachers plays a major role in determining their approaches and responses to the behaviour of boys and girls in the classroom. This paper focuses on the experiences of girls and teachers' traditional perceptions of femininity and it is believed that the stereotyped, often middle‐class assumptions made by many teachers, which make up an overall view of how girls ‘should’ behave, have serious effects on girls' motivation, self‐esteem, reputations, their ability to fulfil their educational potentials and their futures. It will also seriously affect their class‐room behaviour. Secondly, stereotyped beliefs around women, men and power in our society, can influence the discipline measures of teachers, particularly male teachers, so that ‘controlling’ students in the class‐room becomes paramount, at any cost. The predominantly authoritarian regimes that were incorporated in the structure of the schools that were part of this research, were perpetuated through the ideology of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ that dominates within most levels of the schooling system.
Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction: What is Social Constructionism? Where Do You Get Your Personality From? Does Language Affect the Way We Think? What is a Discourse? What Does it Mean to Have Power? Is There a Real World Outside Discourse? Can Individuals Change Society? What Does it Mean to be a Person? 1. The Person as Discourse-user. 2. The Self as Constructed in Language. 3. Subject Positions in Discourse. What Do Discourse Analysts Do? Glossary. Bibliography. Name Index. Subject Index.
This article examines the homophobic harassment of lesbian teachers working in government high schools in Sydney, Australia. Six women were interviewed about their experiences of student homophobia, including how they dealt with that harassment on both a personal and practical level and their philosophies on youth homophobia and anti-homophobic education in New South Wales government schools. The article demonstrates the fact that harassment based on sexual orientation is often an invisible issue in schools, as is homosexuality in general. It also demonstrates that there is inadequate training of staff and too few resources available to enhance tolerance of homosexuality. It shows that teaching about homosexual tolerance needs to be an 'en masse' strategy, where the issue of homosexuality and anti-homophobia strategies are not categorised under any broad umbrella term, but where they are prioritised to become visible, overtly discussed and hence, addressed issues.
This exploratory paper seeks to examine some of the effects of a differing sexual orientation on teachers’ daily lives in the staffroom and classroom. The data analysed were mainly collected in interviews with gay and lesbian teachers. It is hoped that by opening up some of the issues surrounding teachers and sexual orientations, this paper will help to lessen the stigma so typically attached to gays and lesbians who work in occupations that deal with young children or in jobs that entail moral responsibility.
This report describes identity management strategies used in school by lesbian and gay educators. Participants in the study were 13 self‐identified lesbian and gay educators who worked in preschool‐12th‐grade settings. Each participant was interviewed about her or his experience of being a lesbian or gay educator. Researchers and participants analyzed the interview transcripts to identify themes of experience. Participants chose identity management strategies that addressed either their fear of exposure or their wish for self‐integrity. The identity management strategies used by participants comprise a continuum from low to high risk: (a) passing, (b)covering, (c) implicidy coming out, and (d) explicitly coming out. The results are presented in the context of contemporary labeling theory and critical feminist theory.
This paper draws upon data from an ongoing series of life history interviews with a young lesbian PE teacher, called Jessica (a pseudonym), who has recently started her career in a secondary school. Various moments from her life as told and written are provided in order to present a view of schooling from a particular standpoint that, for the most part, has been repressed. Therefore, how Jessica experiences homophobia and heterosexism in educational institutions, how she relates these experiences to other moments in her life, and the identity management strategies she adopts to cope with specific situations, provide important insights into a reality that is oppositional to the taken‐for‐granted reality of the dominant and privileged sexual class in schools, that is, heterosexuals. These insights illustrate how Jessica is systematically denied an essential freedom that is systematically granted to heterosexual teachers in a way that legitimises a distinction between her private and public lives that is partial, distorting and perverse. It is concluded that taking action against homophobia and heterosexism is the responsibility of all educators regardless of their sexual identity.
This article, based on empirical qualitative data gained from a survey and interviews with a group of early childhood educators, argues for the inclusion of sexual differences, or more specifically, gay and lesbian equity issues, in approaches to anti-bias. The article examines the discourses that prevail in the field, that perpetuate the perceived irrelevance, invisibility and exclusion of lesbian and gay issues in early childhood settings and education generally. The discussion focuses on several main areas, including: the prevalence of the dominant discourses of childhood and sexuality that intersect to constitute sexuality as irrelevant to children; the pervasiveness of the discourse of compulsory heterosexuality and the assumed absence of gay and lesbian families in settings; or the assumed absence of significant gay and lesbian adults in children's lives; the presence of homophobia and heterosexism in early childhood settings; and the perceived irrelevance of broader social, political and economic issues to the ‘child's world’. This article highlights some crucial issues for practice and policy development in the area of anti-bias education concerned with sexual differences.
The Review of Higher Education 20.4 (1997) 381-398
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students are faced with oppressive, hateful, homophobic climates -- cultures in which they are made to feel invisible and isolated (Love, 1993; Norris, 1992; Rhoads, 1994). Many of the students leave (Evans & Wall, 1991). Others contemplate, attempt, or commit suicide (Gibson, 1989; Saunders & Valente, 1987). Some stay and struggle to develop into whole, functioning human beings, despite the lack of a supportive environment. Religiously affiliated institutions (RAIs) are typically even less friendly places for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people (D'Emilio, 1992). However, despite assumptions to the contrary, lesbian, gay, and bisexual peopledo attend, teach, and work at RAIs.
Religiously affiliated colleges vary widely. Lumping them together masks as much diversity as lumping together all liberal arts colleges. This is especially the case when looking at the issue of sexual orientation. At one extreme are institutions, such as Bible colleges and fundamentalist schools, which explicitly enunciate a very clear and consistent belief about homosexuality: It is a choice, it is wrong, it is immoral, and the Bible specifies homosexuality to be a sin (Maret, 1984). At the other end of this continuum are institutions, such as some of those founded in the Friends (or Quaker) tradition, that tend to be more open to, and accepting of, individual diversity; they tend to see sexual orientation as one element of that diversity. Of course, many institutions, no doubt the bulk of RAIs in the United States, fall between the extremes.
It is important to recognize that, no matter what position they take on this issue, RAIs -- indeed all colleges and universities -- exist within a societal culture that is homophobic and heterosexist; thus, all institutions struggle in some way with issues related to sexual orientation. Finally, an important reason to study issues of sexual orientation at RAIs is that many of the suggestions in the current literature for working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students (e.g., conducting orientation activities for gay and lesbian students, and distributing literature to prospective students about gay and lesbian organization [Wall & Evans, 1991]) may be culturally inappropriate on many of these campuses. Therefore, it is important to discover what professionals can do within the cultural constraints of their campus, while attempting to change those cultures. This is especially important given a recent study of student affairs professionals at Catholic colleges (Estanek, 1996) which found that issues of sexuality and sexual orientation were the most challenging parts of their jobs.
Personnel at Catholic colleges and universities, perhaps more than other RAIs, face significant environmental constraints in addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students. The formal teachings of the church, while rejecting homosexuality, do not reject the individual homosexual; however, the culture of Catholicism is often significantly more homophobic and rejecting (Nugent & Gramick, 1989). This culture, which exists both on campus and in the larger community among alumni, local churches and congregations, and church leaders, significantly constrains actions on campus. While this larger culture cannot be ignored, the focus of this study was the internal culture of one campus.
This study reports on the culture related to sexual orientation -- and attempts to change it -- at St. James College (a pseudonym), an RAI that falls between the two aforementioned extremes. The questions that guided this study were: "What is the culture of the institution as it relates to sexual orientation?" and "What can we learn about changing the culture of sexual orientation at RAIs from the experiences of the individuals who participated in this study?"
The focus of this study -- culture -- is a complex concept and a powerful, invisible influence in the community of any college or university. Culture can be imagined as a fabric that is continually created and recreated by members of the community. In daily activities, members weave together their values, beliefs, and assumptions with those of others in the institution. The fabric includes patterns of interpretations related to the history, traditions, and mission of the institution and subgroups within the institution. These patterns, values, beliefs, and assumptions guide the behavior of individuals and actions of groups and they do so frequently subconsciously (Kuh & Whitt, 1988). This study explored...
The purposes of this participatory research project were to describe the experiences of thirteen lesbian and gay educators and to empower the participants through collective reflection and action. Each participant was interviewed and given a copy of her or his audio-tape and transcript. Using these materials, each participant developed a profile of themselves to share with the other participants. During a series of group meetings that spanned fifteen months, participants discussed their experiences, searched for common themes, and planned two collective actions. This chapter describes the professional experiences of these lesbian and gay educators and the process of empowerment that changed their lives.
Less than half of a random sample (N = 211) of high school health teachers formally teach about homosexuality. When taught, it most commonly is taught for less than one class period. Only one-in-four teachers perceived themselves as very competent in teaching about homosexuality. This is not surprising given the fact that teachers were most likely to identify the mass media as the most commonly used source of information regarding homosexuality. One-in-five teachers claimed students in their classes often used abusive language when describing homosexuals. One-third of health teachers indicated gay and lesbian rights are a threat to the American family and its values. However, one-third of the health teachers perceived the schools were not doing enough to help homosexual adolescents. Finally, more than half the health teachers indicated gay/lesbian support groups would not be supported by their school administrator. Perceptions and behaviors regarding adolescent homosexuality varied by the teachers' gender, age, educational level, and teaching status regarding homosexuality.
In this paper we chronicle the prevalence of and cultural prescription for homophobia in the United States. The endemic nature of homophobia as it has been studied by behavioral scientists is reviewed. We then suggest that as social institutions reflecting cultural values, schools, colleges, and universities sanction an environment that neglects the value of gay students, staff, and faculty. Institutional homophobia dismisses the legitimacy of these individuals, thereby minimizing their contributions to learning. Addressed specifically are suggestions for training individuals who work with students to recognize, address, and challenge homophobia. We conclude that while the weight of American culture sanctions homophobia, training educators and personnel about the nuances of institutional homophobia may provide a fairer environment for gay students and colleagues. An appendix of resources describing effective programs for educational and training use is provided.
Shades of pink: An exploratory study of lesbian teachers. Un-published master's thesis
- J Underwood
Underwood, J. (1995). Shades of pink: An exploratory study of lesbian teachers. Un-published master's thesis, California State University, Long Beach.
Seductions: Studies in reading and culture New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act of 1977 American church backs away from zero tolerance for pedophile priests
- J Miller
Miller, J. (1991). Seductions: Studies in reading and culture. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act of 1977. Available online at <http://www. lawlink.nsw.gov.au/adb.nsf/pages/lawsindex>. Last accessed January 19, 2004. Pullella, P. (2002, April, 26). American church backs away from zero tolerance for pedophile priests. The Sydney Morning Herald, p.
Voices from the heart-land: Lesbian women and education. Un-published doctoral dissertation Decidedly different: " Lesbian women and education
- Y Appleby
Appleby, Y. (1995). Voices from the heart-land: Lesbian women and education. Un-published doctoral dissertation, University of Sheffield, England. Appleby, Y. (1996). " Decidedly different: " Lesbian women and education, Interna-tional Studies in Sociology of Education, 6(1), 67-86.
Mechanisms of silence: Sexuality regulation in New South Wales High Schools. Perspectives from lesbian teachers. Unpublished doctoral disserta-tion
- T Ferfolja
Ferfolja, T. (2003). Mechanisms of silence: Sexuality regulation in New South Wales High Schools. Perspectives from lesbian teachers. Unpublished doctoral disserta-tion, The University of New South Wales, Australia.
The contextual realities of being a lesbian physical educator: Living in two worlds. Unpublished doctoral dissertation
- S Woods
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Who are you kidding? Children, power, and the struggle against sexual abuse Constructing and reconstructing child-hood: Contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood
- J Kitzinger
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Don't frighten the horses! A systematic perspective on violence against lesbians and gay men
- C Ruthchild
Ruthchild, C. (1997). Don't frighten the horses! A systematic perspective on violence against lesbians and gay men. In G. Mason & S. Tomsen (Eds.), Homophobic vio-lence (pp. 1-14). Sydney, Australia: Hawkins.
Acts of passion: Lesbians, gay men and the law
- J Sanders
- L Finestone
- A Kirkland
Sanders, J., Finestone, L. & Kirkland, A. (2000). Acts of passion: Lesbians, gay men and the law. Sydney, Australia: NSW Young Lawyers, Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, Inner City Legal Centre, Attorney General's Department of NSW and Aids Council of NSW.
A reflection of resistance. Discourses of hetero-sexism and homophobia in teacher training classrooms From here to diversity: The social impact of lesbian and gay is-sues in education in Australia and New Zealand
- K Robinson
- T Ferfolja
Robinson, K. & Ferfolja, T. (2002). A reflection of resistance. Discourses of hetero-sexism and homophobia in teacher training classrooms. In K. Robinson, J. Irwin, & T. Ferfolja (Eds.), From here to diversity: The social impact of lesbian and gay is-sues in education in Australia and New Zealand (pp. 55-64). New York: Harrington Park Press.
Sensitively accepting the " objec-tively disordered: " Being lesbian or gay in a Catholic school
- G Curran
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- L Halliday
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Schooling sexualities
- D Epstein
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Epstein, D. & Johnson, R. (1998). Schooling sexualities. Buckingham: Open Univer-sity Press.
Voices from the margins: Lesbian teachers in Nova Scotia's schools. Unpublished master's thesis
- S Singer
Singer, S. (1997). Voices from the margins: Lesbian teachers in Nova Scotia's schools. Unpublished master's thesis, Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada.
Gay and lesbian educators: Past history / Future prospects Coming out of the classroom closet: Gay and lesbian students, teachers, and curricula
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