Australian Lesbian Teachers-a reflection of homophobic harassment of high school teachers in New South Wales government schools

Abstract

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.