How to Queer Your (English) Class

Introduction

Inclusive education has become one of the priorities in all types of policies and regulations over the last decennia. The topic itself is an umbrella term that covers all types of diversity, including LGBTQIA+. LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual or Ally. The acronym is used to represent the diverse identities and experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community. The plus sign (+) is often added to include other identities that are not explicitly mentioned in the acronym. Research from Kosciw et al. (2013) has shown that LGBTQIA+ youth often experience the feeling of not fitting in and fall victim more easily to violence, bullying and harassment at school. This negative (school) environment has a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of these youngsters (UNESCO, 2018). Different psychological studies over the last years point out that the mental health issues they experience often culminate in suicidal thought, suicide attempts or self-harm (e.g., Dhondt, 2018). Although these outcomes on their own should already be sufficient reason to provide safe learning environments for LGBTQIA+ pupils, there is more. Neurological studies have already shown more than twenty years ago how stress influences dopamine regulation, which causes disruptions in neurological functioning, meaning learning is less likely to happen (Lieberman and Rosenthal 2001). The impact of socio-emotional variables on academic outcomes has also been demonstrated for a number of years (see for example Berger et al., 2011, Elias & Haynes, 2008; Extremera & Fernández-Berrocal, 2003; Stipek & Miles, 2008) More recently, Leighton et al. (2019) demonstrated how student trust in their teachers can create a domino effect of increased learning outcomes, empathic views of their peers, their learning engagement and wellbeing. It is then not surprising that LGBTQIA+ pupils in a negative (school) environment experience a big impact on their self-esteem, but also obtain a lower grade-point average, miss more days at school and have a lower school belonging (Kosciw et al., 2013; Pizmony-Levy & Kosciw, 2016).

Providing gender inclusive education becomes (even) more challenging for teachers when they are working in (super)diverse regions, where pupils from different cultures and background come together in the same school. In order to deal with this diversity, teachers have to have the needed competency to manage the dynamics and complexity of all types of diversity (Sierens et al., 2007; Mahatmya et al., 2016). The sociocultural awareness of teachers therefore is a basic attitude to deal with the socio-cultural diversity in the school context. It is the awareness of how social class, ethnicity and language affects how people think and act (Villegas & Lucas, 2002). As LGBTQIA+ rights are often still considered “problematic” or “wrong” in many cultures, teachers indicate that they are not equipped to bring these topics up, thus making them a taboo subject (see Marechal et al., 2014 for the case of Brussels).