South African Life Orientation Teachers: (Not) Teaching About Sexuality Diversity

Abstract

Although South Africa is one of the most progressive countries in the world in terms of constitutional and legislative rights for LGBT individuals, education is one of many social arenas where these ideals are not carried out. Interviews with 25 practicing teachers revealed very little description of practice, but widely divergent understandings around sexual diversity that drew on various authoritative discourses, including religious teachings, educational policy, science, and the powerful human rights framework of the South African constitution. Implications for teacher education include directly engaging with these discourses and providing training, teaching materials, and practical guidelines based on existing policy.

KEYWORDS:

• sexual diversity
• education
• authoritative discourse
• human rights
• teachers

Notes

1. The author criticizes essentialized media discourses around the phenomenon for reinforcing racist and heterosexist simplifications, “‘Corrective rape’ should be situated within an understanding of homophobia, sexism and racism as interlocking systems of oppression which operate together to control, through violence and terror, women who happen to be Black, happen to be lesbian and happen to be from townships.”

2. Homosexuality as a disorder was removed in 1973, but it was replaced with the more specific new diagnosis, ego-dystonic homosexuality for the 1980 edition of the DSM, which was subsequently removed altogether from the 1986 version (Herek, 2012).

3. The decision was taken by the General Assembly on May 17, which is now celebrated as the International Day Against Homophobia (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersexual Association, 2005).

4. The South African school system runs from Reception through grade 12.

5. We considered this to be a negative response, rather than a positive response, because the teachers initial response was “no,” and she does not suggest this inclusion to be a systematic part of the human rights aspect of the curriculum.

6. The topic is called Constitutional rights and responsibilities for grades 7–9 and Democracy and Human Rights for years 10–12.

7. Two participants did not receive this exact question, but it became apparent through their interviews that sexual diversity did not form part of their LO teaching, and they both declared that they had received no education about “homosexuality.”