Standing alone: sexual minority status and victimisation in a rural lower secondary school

Abstract

Studies worldwide indicate that sexual minority students often face different forms of bullying in everyday life at school, and young people growing up in communities with conservative values, such as in rural areas, are often in a particularly vulnerable position. Nonetheless, there is an absence of studies addressing the everyday lives of sexual minority students in rural schools. Drawing on interviews with students in the ninth grade of a rural lower secondary school in Sweden, the current study has investigated experiences of violence and harassment routinely directed at sexual minority students at school. The results indicate that the local gender regime is strongly framed by heteronormative values that position non-heterosexual students as the Other. Sexual minority students are exposed to homophobic name-calling on a daily basis, and threats and physical violence are also common. To fit in and to 'survive' in school, sexual minority students are forced to accept the homophobic name-calling and are sometimes also forced to physically fight back. This study concludes that it is important that schools address issues around violence directed towards nonheterosexual students, and that ways to create a more inclusive and safe school environment be identified. ARTICLE HISTORY

Heteronormative Violence in Schools: Focus on Homophobia, Transphobia and the Experiences of Trans and Non-heterosexual Youth in Finland

“…I have not analysed these aspects, but in my research I found out that locality and social class are meaningful aspects (see Lehtonen, 2018). Youth living in rural areas were more likely than those living in cities to both hide their sexuality and gender from other students and their teachers at school, but they also faced negative reactions to their sexuality and gender identity more often than respondents living in cities (see also Odenbring, 2019). Respondents with working-class backgrounds faced violence more often than those with middle-class backgrounds.…”

“…I have analysed it as a central way to construct proper heteronormative masculinities for boys in school context. In my earlier research, I found that youth reported that "sometimes homophobic name-calling was not targeted towards known gay people while they might get insulted, and it was only used between straight boys" (see Pascoe, 2007;Odenbring, 2019). But of course, especially for LGBTI youth, hearing negative homophobic reactions and name-calling creates an unpleasant atmosphere, even if they are not the direct targets.…”

The good, the bad, and the why: How do Arabic-speaking migrant men perceive and experience information and services related to sexual and reproductive health in Sweden?

“…For example, intimate partner violence in Sweden remains high compared to other European countries ( Gracia and Merlo, 2016 ), and the MeToo movement showed the pervasiveness of sexual violence and harassment in Sweden. Besides, studies show that alongside the ‘openness’, ‘traditional’ sexual scripts and strong heteronormative values coexist in Swedish society ( Linander et al., 2021 ; Odenbring, 2019 ).…”

Storytelling as a School Awareness Tool Against Bullying

“…Homophobia [23,24] It is the rejection, discrimination and/or constant hatred of heterosexual people towards homosexual people or belonging to the LGTBI+ community due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.…”