In this article, the author discusses the quandary encountered by school officials at Poway High School in California in April 2004 when a student wore a T-shirt that reads, "Be ashamed, our school embraced what God has condemned" on the front and "Homosexuality is shameful--Romans 1:27" on the back. The student wore that…

This article discusses model LGBT Safe Space Ally programs. These programs, often called "Safe Zones," include self selected students, faculty, and employees who publicly show support by displaying stickers, signs, and other identifiable items. Issues covered in the article include history, development, training, membership, assessment, and…

Historically, schooling has been a point of contention and restless agitation for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in North America who may feel trapped in prisons of invisibility. Traditionally, queer people's existence in educational settings has been denied or made invisible, not just physically (in school…

Perspectives regarding bullying of gay, lesbian, and questioning (GLQ) students were obtained from 16 school and community service providers in this exploratory study. Insights were gained regarding in-school responses to homophobic bullying threats beyond traditional punishments (e.g., suspension). Barriers to developing safe schools for GLQ…

This paper examines the way lesbian identities are silenced in schools particularly through anti-lesbian harassment. Based on research with 30 self-identified lesbian teachers working across high schools in New South Wales, Australia, the discussion illustrates how various responses to anti-lesbian harassment silence the recognition of such…

While developments have been made concerning the understanding of general bullying behaviour in Irish schools, considerably less is known about homophobic bullying. Presented here are the findings of a study into the views and perspectives of a self-selected sample of 123 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT) secondary school-aged young…

This article presents an interview with James Howe, author of "The Misfits" and "Totally Joe". In this interview, Howe discusses tolerance, diversity and the parallels between his own life and his literature. Howe's four books in addition to "The Misfits" and "Totally Joe" and his list of recommended books with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,…

This article begins from imagining what it would be like to target recruitment for teachers at lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual (LGBT) people, and then examines in some detail two kinds of discrimination (or pathology) which makes life in the world of education problematic. It then turns to why, in spite of these difficulties, lesbian and gay…

How do students who do not identify as gay interrupt the institutionalized silence pervading the issue of heterosexism in public schools? Drawing on data from practitioner research conducted with high school students, I illustrate one such journey where students with situated privilege chose to challenge heterosexism. Analysis of field notes,…

In this article, the author offers guidelines to teachers on shaping pedagogy and classrooms in ways that include and value the experiences and learning of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. In order for teachers to create a context in which gender trouble can happen without violent consequences, they need to…

This article offers a number of ideas that teachers and administrators can implement in order to help make educational settings more welcoming for parents who are LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual or transgender). However, the real work is beyond that of putting up posters or dolls in the dollhouse or changing the words to fingerplays to reflect the…

Generally, this article examines the complicated relations between gender and sexuality. More specifically, it couches gender and sexuality in the field of queer studies and education and argues that whatever gender and sexuality might mean, these concepts must include discussions around queerness, otherwise gender debates get aligned with …

A growing body of research indicates that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students are often unsafe at school. Little research has examined school safety for students with LGBT parents. We examined adolescents' perceptions of school safety for students with LGBT parents using data from a survey of 2,302 California sixth through…

This article explores what it means to work towards shifting school cultures in order to affirm sexual diversity within the contexts of conducting research within two New Zealand secondary schools. The author charts the series of shifts in thinking and action that she has undergone as to how best to accomplish changes given the challenges that…

This article explores the delicate and complex issues immediate to the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. The author places the discussion within the context of learning environments and presents ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers can help create safe and equitable spaces for all learners. Presented are…