Work

The courage to be: LGBTQ+ youth within the heteronormative and cisgenderist school environment

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Recent research studies tend to view LGBTQ+ youth through lenses of marginalization and victimization, or through ideas of resilience and accommodation to heteronormative and cisgenderist practices. Insufficient attention has been paid to the courage many LGBTQ+ students display through daily life at school to continuously stand up to these norms. This study explores the experiences of students who identify as LGBTQ+ in 10 secondary schools in southern England gathered through 11 focus groups (total n = 67). Using corpus-assisted discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis, we identify a number of ways in which LGBTQ+ students display courage in navigating their day-to-day existence, often challenging hetero-and cisgenderist norms. The authors urge schools to rethink and promote affirmative action, as courage to instigate change should not fall solely on the shoulders of LGTBQ+ students and a handful of allies.

Source: International journal of LGBTQ+ youth studies.

DOI: 10.1080/29968992.2024.2427618

Authors: Sean E. Murphy, Richard Harris, Ann E. Wilson-Daily

Institutions: Universitat de Barcelona, University of Reading

Language: English

Topic: Gender, Sexuality, and Education

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Universitat de Barcelona