Learning : issues of sexuality, race and power in the classroom (original) (raw)

2015, Electronic Journal For Inclusive Education

The notion that all people should have equal access to human rights, dignity, protection, and opportunities, contextualizes the problems of sexual diversity in a wide range of discourses that marginalize those bodies, or individuals that are perceived to be sexually alternative. 'Gay, lesbian, bisexual, homosexual, and transgendered students, who do not identify with heterosexual norms are often ostracized, harassed, and excluded from and within the educational safety net, and feel betrayed by a system that positions the 'other' as deviant (Loutzenheiser & MacIntosh, 2004). In view of current socio-cultural contexts, sexuality, figures into the milieu as a critical location of social injustice issues. Learning: Issues of Sexuality, Race and Power in the Classroom The discourse of sexuality can be perceived as a tension between the acceptances, or affirmation of diversity and multi-sexuality, on one hand, and the defense of established beliefs and norms associated with dominant heterosexual values, on the other. At issue, the difference between deviant and normal sexual behaviour is contested, as perceptions of sexuality shift in the wake of contemporary global, 'socio-cultural-sexual realities' (Rosenthal & Dowsett, 2000). Respectfully, the education system is concerned with social justice, and seeks to deal with the negativity associated with discrimination and disadvantage. Inclusively, some of those discourses, such as sexual harassment and violence, heterosexual discourse, homophobia, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, identity, coming out as a 'zone of shame and exclusion', sexual health, name calling, hate