Being LGBTQ+ in secondary school: A look at past experiences from a gender perspective

Abstract

While many studies have looked at the treatment of gender in the secondary classroom in Spain, few have focused on LGBTQ+ secondary experiences from a gender perspective.  Twenty recently graduated secondary students who currently identify as LGBTQ+ participated in semi-structured interviews and a focus group centering on their school experiences (the data collection type respected participants’ personal preferences). Participants reported receiving little LGBTQ+-related content in their social science classes and school in general, but when content was presented, it was focused on homosexual males, mainly, superficial comments on the homosexual identification of male historical figures or on the general acceptance of male homosexuality in the past. These former secondary students recognized the privilege of males and male identities within the LGBTQ+ collective, not only within the curriculum, but also in terms of treatment by their peers. Furthermore, the little support that students did receive from their teachers, seemed to come principally from female figures. The findings illustrate how heteronormative social norms dominate within schools and highlight specific shortcomings of secondary schools regarding LGBTQ+ student experiences from a gender perspective.