What does the teaching and learning of sexuality education in South African schools reveal about counter-normative sexualities?

ABSTRACT

Using the interlocking concepts of power, knowledge and discourse, this article focuses on how counter normative sexualities are discursively constructed in the sexuality education classroom and with what effects. Drawing on in-depth interviews with teachers and classroom observation, the evidence highlights the presence of specific discourses about the teaching and learning of sexuality diversity. First, while many teachers argued for the inclusion of counter-normative sexualities, in their teaching and responses they privileged heterosexuality as legitimate and natural and same-sex sexualities as deviant and Other. Second, teachers’ discourses construct queer youth not only as innocent and childlike but also as hypersexual and rebellious – requiring discipline and intervention. These constructions link closely to discourses of pity and tolerance, or blame when counter-normative sexualities were expressed. Finally, despite heterosexuality being privileged in the classroom, teachers’ and pupils’ questions about gender and sexuality diversity suggest the need for a more defined and inclusive curriculum sexuality education curriculum. Findings justify concern about how counter-normative sexualities are addressed in the sexuality education classroom and advocate for improvement in teaching and learning about counter-normative sexualities in South African secondary education.

KEYWORDS:

• Queer youth
• sexuality education
• discourse
• power
• knowledge
• South Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. An association of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organisations in South Africa.

2. Caster Semenya is a South African athlete and Olympic gold medallist.

3. Generations is a South African soap opera.

4. The Free State province, is divided into five district municipalities – Xhariep District, Fezile Dabi, Lejweleputswa, Thabo Mofutsanyana and Motheo.

5. Two categories were taken into account – fee paying and non-fee-paying schools.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation: [Grant Number CPRR13082330440]; National Research Foundation [Grant Number Education Research South Africa 13110857621].