In this paper, I analyse the relationship between US high schools' organisational cultures and student perceptions of responses to anti-gay language in their school. Using data from 67 interviews with young people who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual, I compare teachers' responses to anti-gay language in schools that do and schools that do…

This study explores the characteristics and risk behaviors of sexual minority high school students using the 2011 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Among 3,043 students surveyed, 8% of students identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or unsure, and 7% reported having contact with same-sex partners. Findings indicate sexual minority students…

Classrooms reflect and contribute to normative sex, gender and sexuality categories in school culture, rules and rituals. Texts, materials, curriculum and the discourse we employ as educators perpetuate the pervasiveness of these categories. This paper explores some of the less visible ways in which sex and gender categories are constructed in US…

This paper compares two forms of sexual socialisation to which learners are exposed: the sexuality education components of the Life Orientation (LO) manuals and the lyrical content and videos of popular songs. We performed a textual analysis of the sexual subject positions made available in, first, the LO manuals used in Grade 10 classes and,…

This phenomenological inquiry explored the experiences and reactions of five school counselors who worked in a school that banned a Gay-Straight Alliance club. Specifically, the authors examined how counselors' perceptions of the ban influenced their advocacy for LGBTQQ students. The results of semi-structured interviews revealed one overarching…

This manuscript contributes to a discussion of how to meaningfully engage issues of sexuality in the curriculum. Noting the struggle to create social change through the inclusion of LGBQ people and events, the manuscript is premised on what we might learn about equity and change by locating the study of inequity in how it is etched into and…

Students from the technical and vocational track in Flanders have more homonegative attitudes than other students. We investigate what explains this track difference and if the homonegativity is reflected in more bullying experiences by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students in these tracks. The results show that sex-role ideology and religion…

Drawing from an ecological framework, there has been growing attention on the role of peers in accounting for adolescents' homophobic behavior. In this study, we considered whether individuals' homophobic behavior could be attributed to their peers' collective levels of aggression, sexual prejudice, and importance placed on their sexual…

Heteronormative culture and heterosexism is experienced by many LGBT students and queer individuals in their daily interactions with their environment. Icelandic upper secondary schools are no exception in this respect. This article draws on interview data with five LGBT students supported by semi-participatory observations at two upper secondary…

The 12 diversity dimensions of the ASCA Ethical Standards (ASCA, 2010) provided a framework for examining whether a statewide sample of high school counseling websites (N = 312) had content for diverse students and their families. Many websites offered little content related to those dimensions, and content was especially low for some groups…

School violence and bullying are two public health concerns with consequences for youth in and out of school, for families, students, and community members. In this article, a social-ecological framework is briefly described as a way to understand bullying and school violence; then the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) longitudinal…

Using nationally representative transcript data, this study is the first to include a discussion of religiosity in the context of sexual-minority students' academic achievement. This study examines the issue in three capacities: first, by comparing school success of sexual-minority youth to a non-sexual-minority reference group; second, by…

The U.S. secondary school environment often is hostile and exclusionary toward LGBTQ students. Queer theoretical perspectives have served as the conceptual foundation for a phenomenographic study exploring seven high school administrators' perceptions of their experiences with Gay-Straight Alliances. The study results support prior research that…

For over 25 years, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has worked to promote safe and affirming schools for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. A significant part of this work has been to document the experiences of students, as well as to examine teacher beliefs and…

For over 25 years, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has worked to promote safe and affirming schools for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. A significant part of this work has been to document the experiences of students, as well as to examine teacher beliefs and…