Lesbians and gays in education

This chapter analyzes a range of responses that have been developed to address problems around respecting the rights of lesbians and gay (LG) people in education. It outlines the growing global movement in education for LG people since 2010, and also some of the backlash this has garnered. It then describes the key themes of education research on LG issues over the last four decades, showing how the focus has increasingly shifted from problematizing LG people to problematizing the treatment of this group in educational settings. The chapter also examines research on teaching and LG staff, and considers whether it may be naïve to assume that they are the ideal staff members to manage homophobic bullying in schools. This is followed by a consideration of LG students’ experiences of homophobia and violence; and a range of school support features for such students. Following detailed analysis of these four themes, the chapter concludes with recommendations around key ways to support LG people – staff and students – in schools.