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ERIC Number: EJ1157784
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 15
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1536-3031
EISSN: N/A
Discourses Governing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual Teachers' Disclosure of Sexual Orientation and Gender History
Bower-Phipps, Laura
Issues in Teacher Education, v26 n3 p23-37 Fall 2017
Significant progress has been made in equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) individuals, yet schools remain institutions where sexual and gender diversity are marginalized and/or silenced. Queer theory, a non-linear theory that disrupts dominant beliefs about gender and sexuality and what constitutes "natural" or "normal" gender and sexual expressions is a productive tool for identifying normalizing discourses that shape LGBTQIA teachers' decisions around disclosure of sexual orientation and/or gender history. The study presented in this article employed a qualitative, interpretivist framework. Queer theory informed this methodology by maintaining a focus on how notions of normal and deviant are constructed within school settings, exploring participants' understanding of discourses within their schools and communities, and how these discourses serve to normalize certain behaviors and identities while pathologizing others. A total of 20 LGBTQIA educators volunteered, and all were included in the study. Each participant engaged in a semi-structured interview focused on their decisions around disclosure within schools and communities, factors that influenced their decisions around disclosure, desired levels of outness, and advice for LGBTQIA pre-service teachers. Participants related diverse choices regarding disclosure of sexual orientation and/or gender history, ranging from being completely out to students, their families, and other school personnel to actively hiding any markers of diverse sexual identities or gender histories.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A