Queering student perspectives: gender, sexuality and activism in school

Abstract

This paper examines the work of a gay-straight alliance and the ways in which members use elements of queer theory to understand their own and others' identities, both to make sense of their experiences and to support their activist efforts. The analysis identifies queer perspectives on gender and sexual identity as useful tools for supporting student activism. It also illustrates the complexity of this process within the school context, the challenges associated with student-led school change, and the forces, both institutional and cultural, that can hamper this potential.

Keywords:

• gender
• sexuality
• gay-straight alliances
• queer theory
• USA

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

^1. To protect confidentiality, all the names of places and people are pseudonyms.

^2. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer. Throughout, I use this acronym because it is a commonly used term in the USA and it represents the range of identities used by student participants themselves.

^3. The word ‘bathroom’ is used broadly in US English to describe a toilet and/or washroom, including those in schools, regardless of whether they contain actual ‘baths’. It is used here in participant quotes and, at times, when describing the GSA project, as that is the word the participants used. In other instances, I use the more commonly used term ‘toilet’.

^4. As part of the traditions of Homecoming and Prom (school dances held each fall and spring respectively) students elect a ‘king’ and a ‘queen’ along with several male and female attendants who make up each one's ‘court’ and are paired together. The students elected are ‘crowned’ at the dance and are often popular students who are viewed as leaders by their peers.