According to Jones (2022), a recent Gallup poll revealed that 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ... more According to Jones (2022), a recent Gallup poll revealed that 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+. This percentage varies widely by generation, but presents an upward curve: whereas only 2.6% of Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) identify as LGBTQ+, 20.8% of Generation Z (born 1997-2003 in the Gallup survey) identifies as such. This percentage, given the trend, will continue to increase: “With one in 10 millennials and one in five Gen Z members identifying as LGBT, the proportion of LGBT Americans should exceed 10% in the near future” (Jones, 2022, para. 17). Meanwhile, Smith (2015) makes note that US schools “have been invested in preserving hegemonic gender norms” (p. 224) while Steck and Perry (2018) show that the American educational system is deeply invested in maintaining heteronormativity in K-12 education. This study investigated how college-aged LGBTQ+ young adults recalled their secondary school experiences and aimed to address this issue: What strategies can educators use to better engage and collaborate with LGBTQ+ students in order to ensure that their unique needs and concerns are being addressed, regardless of the school’s administrative policies regarding LGBTQ+ issues? Data were collected through a phenomenological qualitative research design. Interviews were conducted via Zoom with college-age individuals who identified as LGBTQ+ and resided in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Participants were identified through a mix of purposeful sampling and snowball sampling. The study relied on an interplay of three theoretical frameworks: Queer Theory, Critical Pedagogy, and Ethic of Care. Findings indicate that LGBTQ+ students reported that their schools did not adequately address queer issues, and that they had to seek information elsewhere. Additionally, participants found their schools to be largely inadequate in dealing with LGBTQ+-oriented bullying, administrative policies that address LGBTQ+ issues, and providing safe spaces such as GSAs (Gay-Straight Alliances or Gender-Sexuality Alliances) for queer students. Teachers who were viewed by the participants as ‘safe spaces’ often did so in absence or defiance of administrative policies governing LGBTQ+ students.
According to Jones (2022), a recent Gallup poll revealed that 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ... more According to Jones (2022), a recent Gallup poll revealed that 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+. This percentage varies widely by generation, but presents an upward curve: whereas only 2.6% of Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) identify as LGBTQ+, 20.8% of Generation Z (born 1997-2003 in the Gallup survey) identifies as such. This percentage, given the trend, will continue to increase: “With one in 10 millennials and one in five Gen Z members identifying as LGBT, the proportion of LGBT Americans should exceed 10% in the near future” (Jones, 2022, para. 17). Meanwhile, Smith (2015) makes note that US schools “have been invested in preserving hegemonic gender norms” (p. 224) while Steck and Perry (2018) show that the American educational system is deeply invested in maintaining heteronormativity in K-12 education. This study investigated how college-aged LGBTQ+ young adults recalled their secondary school experiences and aimed to address this issue: What strategies can educators use to better engage and collaborate with LGBTQ+ students in order to ensure that their unique needs and concerns are being addressed, regardless of the school’s administrative policies regarding LGBTQ+ issues? Data were collected through a phenomenological qualitative research design. Interviews were conducted via Zoom with college-age individuals who identified as LGBTQ+ and resided in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Participants were identified through a mix of purposeful sampling and snowball sampling. The study relied on an interplay of three theoretical frameworks: Queer Theory, Critical Pedagogy, and Ethic of Care. Findings indicate that LGBTQ+ students reported that their schools did not adequately address queer issues, and that they had to seek information elsewhere. Additionally, participants found their schools to be largely inadequate in dealing with LGBTQ+-oriented bullying, administrative policies that address LGBTQ+ issues, and providing safe spaces such as GSAs (Gay-Straight Alliances or Gender-Sexuality Alliances) for queer students. Teachers who were viewed by the participants as ‘safe spaces’ often did so in absence or defiance of administrative policies governing LGBTQ+ students.
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