Sissies, Faggots, Lezzies, and Dykes: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and a New Politics of Education?

Abstract

This article seeks to chart a course through the contested areas of gender and sexual orientation in hopes of establishing a theoretical framework and an agenda for much needed future research. In building this article, the author draws from two research traditions, particularly in the areas of history and law. Her stance is that of a critical policy scholar, that is, drawing on neo-Marxist theory generally and Queer Legal Theory specifically. Public schools are governmental entities ruled by laws, regulations, and policies. The people who teach, lead, study, play, and otherwise live within a public school's walls must conform to these dictates or face various legal sanctions including expulsion and job termination. These legal mandates are established through political processes that include court decisions at the state and federal levels. Therefore, legal theories can help analyze and explicate the basic structures that shape daily educational practices. In the areas of gender, sexual orientation, and a possible new politics of education, Queer Legal Theory can be particularly insightful.

An Empirical Study of the Career Paths of Senior Educational Administrators in Manitoba, Canada: Implications for career development

“…These findings may be suggestive of pressure to conform to hypermasculinzed career norms in high status positions for males while also reaffirming women's roles as caregivers and/or mothers. Lugg's (2003) work may also support these findings, as she suggests that men have had to live up to hypermasculinized understandings in order to be hired as leaders, and women who adopt a more masculinized approach may be barred from positions because they are suspected of being queer.…”

Queer Youth and the Culture Wars: From Classroom to Courtroom in Australia, Canada and the United States

“…Fortunately, there have been a few brave teens who have worked with advocacy groups, supportive family members, and community groups to defend their rights through legal action against their schools. Since the early cases of Fricke v. Lynch (1980) and Nabozny v. Podlesny (1997) there has been a steady increase in the numbers of youth bringing their complaints to the courts, particularly in the United States (Bochenek & Brown, 2001;Eisemann, 2000;Lugg, 2003;Lipkin, 1999;Stader & Meyer, 2006). This increase may indicate that youth (and their fam ilies) are feeling more confident and supported in pursuing such cases due to greater visibility of queer role models, availability of information, and support and advocacy.…”

Hiding or out? Lesbian and gay educators reveal their experiences about their sexual identities in their K-12 schools

“…Despite the vast changes to our social landscape over the past few decades, the K-12 educational institutions still remain patriarchal, heteronormative systems (Lugg, 2003). There are exceptions for many differences including gender, race, ethnicity, and religion in school policy, yet the lesbians and gay men are not part of that protected class.…”