Invisible students: experiences of lesbian and gay students in social work education in Greece

Abstract

This article explores through semi-structured interviews the experiences of four lesbian and two gay students from the Social Work Department in the Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Greece. The complete absence of openly out lesbian or gay students or faculty members in the Department was considered reflective of the particular social and cultural context of Greece. Participants reported that lesbian and gay issues were marginalised in the curriculum and that heteronormativity often prevailed in the classroom. Consequently, same-sex sexuality was generally invisible and, when discussed, certain faculty members and peers often appeared to be uncomfortable. Within this context, participants stressed the importance of the professors’ role regarding the climate and content in the classroom. None of the participants considered that their sexual orientation had affected negatively their academic attainment; the lesbian or gay identities sometimes had a positive effect on participants’ academic attainment level exactly because of the negative impact these identities had on their social life. Most participants felt that their studies had not prepared them adequately for gay affirmative practice. Implications for social work education are considered.

Keywords:

• Heterosexism
• heteronormativity
• social work education
• sexual orientation
• gay and lesbian students in Greece

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my former students for the interviews. Thank you for your trust and for sharing a part of your life with me.

Notes

1. Derogatory slang for gay man from the phrase “rocks like a boat”, indicates a man walking in an overtly effeminate manner.

2. Derogatory slang for lesbian, since truck driving is supposed to be strictly a man’s job.