Attitudes to LGBTIQA+ Identities in Schools
Definitions
Definitions of sexuality are notoriously slippery - it's very hard to put a label on sexual preferences and practices because everyone is different; even the socially accepted heterosexual norm hides a range of feelings and practices that are far from what one would expect. Thirty years ago, all the books available in school and local libraries that included any information about homosexuality said gay and lesbian people had a mental illness! The first non-medicalised way to look at sexuality was the Kinsey heterosexual-homosexual scale (1940s) which rates people from 0 (completely heterosexual) to 6 (completely homosexual) based on their past sexual behaviours, andit was viewed as very radical for many decades. It is now considered outdated and more complex scales such as the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid rate people based on a range of current and past behaviours, preferences and ideals. These terms are further complicated if you add in diverse gender identities. The most important thing to keep in mind is that sexuality labels should be chosen through self-identification, not imposed by others. This is especially important when it comes to discrimination and homophobia in schools. Using the term LGBTIQA+ shows an attempt to be inclusive of all different types of gender identity and sexual preferences. Some places to find out more about GLTBIQA+ identities are:
Significance
High school is a time when students are actively negotiating their identities, so it is incredibly important not to discriminate against gender and sexuality-diverse students. How many people are we actually talking about? The National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health 2013 found that 24% female high school students are non-heterosexual identifying. In a school of 941 students, this is almost 225 girls! .
Because of the enormous power differential between heterosexual norms and LGBTIQA+ minorities, discrimination and homophobia are found almost everywhere, leading to high levels of socio-emotional trauma for GLTBIQA people. The levels of mental health issues (especially anxiety and depression), substance abuse and suicide rates are high across the GLTBIQ community, especially for youth. These are all very important concerns, but "But are there risks to labeling the LGBT community as vulnerable in this way? Does framing LGBT youth as vulnerable and in need of protection disempower them from taking action to tackle homo-phobic sentiments? Do discussions around the mental health of LGBT people highlight a serious issue, or do they add to the medicalisation of LGBT communities? What are ways that LGBT people can be more empowered and resilient when dealing with these political issues?" (Safe Schools, Marriage Equality, and LGBT Youth Suicide). What’s Good about Being Gay?: Perspectives from Youth includes a positive perspective on these issues by explainign that gay(male) students develop high levels of resilience that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. My personal opinion as a high school teacher is that these statistics are one of the best ways to prove that inclusive practices areurgently needed. Your research might bring you to a very different conclusion, but I would still include the statistics in the significance section of your projec because they relate to well-being which is a big part of CAFS.
These articles will help you highlight key issues for the community:
Because of the enormous power differential between heterosexual norms and LGBTIQA+ minorities, discrimination and homophobia are found almost everywhere, leading to high levels of socio-emotional trauma for GLTBIQA people. The levels of mental health issues (especially anxiety and depression), substance abuse and suicide rates are high across the GLTBIQ community, especially for youth. These are all very important concerns, but "But are there risks to labeling the LGBT community as vulnerable in this way? Does framing LGBT youth as vulnerable and in need of protection disempower them from taking action to tackle homo-phobic sentiments? Do discussions around the mental health of LGBT people highlight a serious issue, or do they add to the medicalisation of LGBT communities? What are ways that LGBT people can be more empowered and resilient when dealing with these political issues?" (Safe Schools, Marriage Equality, and LGBT Youth Suicide). What’s Good about Being Gay?: Perspectives from Youth includes a positive perspective on these issues by explainign that gay(male) students develop high levels of resilience that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. My personal opinion as a high school teacher is that these statistics are one of the best ways to prove that inclusive practices areurgently needed. Your research might bring you to a very different conclusion, but I would still include the statistics in the significance section of your projec because they relate to well-being which is a big part of CAFS.
These articles will help you highlight key issues for the community:
- LGBTI youth are more likely to experience homelessness uses statistics recorded at Why LGBTQ Victorians are twice as likely to face homelessness. This is supported by the Sex and Gender diverse question in the 2016 census which shows that T/I young people are more than twice as likely to have moved in the previous year. The ABS also has census stats on same-sex couples but this is less likely to be useful for this question.
- Primary prevention of family violence against people from LGBTI communities highlight thefact that family violence against GLTBIQA children is largely unreported and suggests what can be done about this.
- Australia's Health, 2018 gives statistics on drug use and suggests that "many LGBTI people use these substances to cope with the discrimination and difficulties that LGBTI people regularly experience" (p.3)
- Beyond blue has the latest mental health statistics
- Where are all the women? highlights issues faced by same-sex attracted women in the workplace.
- Free2be This is probably the survey you'd like to do. It includes extensive discussion of marginalising language and homophobic harassment with disappointingly low accounts of teacher intervention.
- Australian schools must promote LGBT-inclusive education cites several university studies about the need for school-based support
Heterosexual Privilege
While many people are not openly homophobic and don't think of themselves as being homophobic, they can unintentionally exacerbate the problem for GLTBIQA+ people by not realising how their sexual identity privileges them. This is compounded by the fact that GLTBIQA+ students are largely invisible in the school population (for instance, it's much easier to realise there's someone from another ethnicity in your groups and be careful about your speech) and very few schools create an environment in which students feel that it is safe to come out to their peers.
Here are some resources which help heterosexual people understand the issues that GLTBIQA people face every day: Classroom based resources
Here are some resources which help heterosexual people understand the issues that GLTBIQA people face every day: Classroom based resources
Myths about sexual orientation which lead to discrimination
- Myths and Facts about Sexual Orientation
- Debunking the ‘gaydar’ myth suggests that 'gaydar' is simply an excuse to reinforce stereotypes
- Fairy Tales: Attraction and Stereotypes in Same-Gender Relationships
- found that there was no substance to stereotypes about people in same-sex relationships falling into male/female rolesor to the research subjects being hypersexual
Inclusivity
School Policies
What about the parents?
- Guidelines for supporting sexual and gender diversity in schools was produced by the Equal Opportunity Commission, Western Australia to foster inclusive learning environments (with an extensive list of WA resources and support groups), Guidelines for Supporting Sexual and Gender Diversity in Schools and Colleges, the Safe Schools Guide and Gender diversity and transgender are a similar guides by the Tasmanian Department of Education, Victorian Department of Education and Training, and South Australian Department for Education and Child Development, who produced this policy for schools. NSW has Transgender students in schools – legal rights and responsibilities and the NSW Teachers Federation has produced the Gender; Sexuality and Identity Kit.
- Sexual diversity, discrimination and ‘homosexuality policy’ in New South Wales' government schools found that "policy [in NSW schools] ultimately reinforces unhelpful discourses about sexual diversity, and fails to reflect the complexities and fluidities of sexual identities. Although policy implementation in schools in itself can be complex, strong and visible support ‘from the top’ in the form of relevant policy is critical to foster widespread action, understanding and cultural change in schools"
- The NSW Controversial Issues in Schools Policy does NOT include reference to sexuality or gender diversity
- We have marriage equality, now we need LGBTQi+-inclusive sexuality education in schools suggests what inclusive sexuality education might look like. there are references to diverse sexualities in the Australian Curriculum PDHPE syllabus
- Understanding LGBTQ Youth & Ensuring Inclusivity in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs has a good section on inclusivity (p.4-5)
- List of support groups
What about the parents?
- Gender and sexuality diversity and schooling: progressive mothers speak out is a study that shows that even in areas of Sydney where there is a high general understanding of GLTBIQ issues among parents, schools do not provide adequate information and support for students. this is supported by The Elephant in the (Class) Room: Parental Perceptions of LGBTQInclusivity in K-12 Educational Contexts which states that "Parents struggled with the complexities of promoting positive social values through compulsory content while simultaneously respecting diverse sets of values and parents’ rights to frame such topics according to a private set of beliefs. Furthermore, parents advocated for teacher training in this area and were eager for teachers and school leadership staff to feel departmentally-supported to enact LGBTQ-inclusive practices". Parental views on LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum discusses these findings in a teacher journal.
- 'A step backwards': Parents hit back at right for schools to discriminate shows that parents are objecting to the right of religious schools to discriminate on the basis of gender or sexual identity.
Inclusivie termsWhy is it important?DiscriminationLanguageWorkplacecurriculumAccessMental HealthHeterosexual prividelge(PDHPE Australian Curriculum Syllabus, DATE)
InvisibilityWhat are the myths? MAIN BIT!Predatory behaviourContagionIdentityFear of what doesn’t fit the normWhat are the solutions?Access to infoLibrariesClassrooms (normalised culture) Syllabuses say
SpacesSupport Groups