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King - 18151027

Gender and Sexuality.

When discussing gender and sexuality there are numerous social exclusions and

inequalities in the education system as well as the Greater Western Sydney (GWS)

community. This social justice system effects those who identify as being Lesbian,

Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA)

(Edelstein, 2016), as well as heterosexuals. Gender Identity and Expression in our

education system has been an increasing important subject over the last decade

(Dixon, Hillier, Jones, Mitchell, Smith & Ward, 2016) this is due to the social

acceptance and acknowledgement for LGBTQIA community. By investigating recent

student surveys about the education system, along side with the policies employed by

the Department of Education, this analysis will show that there is a large gap between

what the educations policies are and what the students are experiencing. A

combination of these two factors as well as the recent same-sex marriage vote and the

results from GWS districts will be shown to contribute as to why our students and

teachers can be gender bias rather than gender inclusive.

Lily Edelstein writes that although it seems that todays modern society is accepting

and embracing the LGBTQIA community more with such social events as, Gay and

Lesbian Mardi Gras, Queer Screen Fest and the Parramatta Pride Picnic (Edelstein,

2016; Australian Pride Network, 2018) along with the recent passing of legislation for

same sex marriage, examinations into this social justice area prove to be quite

contradictory. Gender and sexuality are discussed in an open forum in our modern

society, however our education system is still lacking in regards to education of the

LGBTQIA community as well as the acceptance for gender and sexually diverse
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students. This lack of acceptance is made evident in the schoolyard, classrooms as

well as the curriculum. For example, schools may have specific days, to which they

are seen to be acknowledging or showing their full support for the LGBTQIA

community, but these moments are inconsistent with what is being taught in the

classrooms or experienced in the schoolyards. This can also be reflected on the GWS

community, for example with the recent ‘Yes’ vote and the passing of same sex

marriage. There were an alarming number of voters in GWS who voted against this

political movement. In fact, seven of the GWS districts were recorded to have the

highest no votes nationwide (Rogers, 2017). These results can mirror exactly what is

happening in the schools in the GSW community.

Greater Western Sydney is well known for being a strong culturally diverse region,

which is why the results of the ‘Yes’ vote can be quite alarming. Two major factors

that can contribute too these results are, the huge percentage of migrants and non-

English speaking background residents as well as GWS’s’ large working-class roots.

Dallas Rogers writes that different cultures and the working class communities are

more concerned with the traditional moral ethics of a heterosexual relationship,

marriage and gender roles (2017). The acceptance of sexuality and gender can be

placed under the sociological theory of “social constructionism” (Ullman, 2016, p.

42), which suggests that a persons gender is formed though the society or community

that they live in. This theory also defines men and women being two completely

gender constructions and uses Judith Butler’s “heterosexual matrix” (Ullman, 2016, p.

42), to also describe the social logic of ones biological sex and their relationships

(Ullman, 2016 p .42). Ullman describes it is due “heterosexual matrix” (Ullman, 2016

p .42), heterosexuals or “cisgendered” (Ullman, 2016, p.42), people then find same
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sex relationships or marriages abnormal, which could give an explanation as to why

there was such a large no vote. Rogers also discusses that some migrants and non-

English speaking community have not yet engaged with the change or acceptance of

same sex marriages and relationships in the religions or cultures and this can be a

main factor of why these communities also voted no (Rogers, 2017).

The New South Wales Department of Education and Training have numerous rules

and regulations in place to provide teachers with effective ways on how to create an

inclusive education system that is accepting of all genders and all sexually diverse

students. In relation to gender equality the Department of Education states that

teachers should frequently be responding to students that present homophobic

behaviour via physical and verbal harassment by “incorporating sanctions against

inappropriate behaviours” (New South Wales Department of Education and Training,

2000, p. 26). The Department of Education recounts a successfully gender inclusive

teacher to include the use of gender conscious assessments and tasks, inclusive gender

language and also eliminating any gender bias attitudes and behaviour policies

(Department of Education and Training, 2000).

Unfortunately these policies are not always successfully carried out and this can

create major issues in the classroom. Connell’s “Gender Hegemony” theory (Ullman,

2016, p. 43) can give reasoning as to why it is not always easy for teachers to

successfully follow these rules due to the fact they can feel a heterosexual relationship

or cisgendered person is “common sense” (Ullman, 2016, p. 43) and cannot relate to

students or peers who have different views. For example some teachers may believe

in “Hegemonic Masculinity” (Ullman, 2016, p.43), which is the concept of the

dominant position of males over females. Teachers who believe in this theory would

be seen to favour males in the classroom and may choose assessments or learning

materials that replicate this theory, therefore creating an environment to which any

other gender would feel insignificant. These treatments are made evident when

studying surveys that specifically target the treatment of gender and sexuality in the

education system and in schools.

In Dixon’s, Hillier’s. Jones’s, Mitchell’s, Smith’s and Ward’s article they explore

transgender and gender diverse students experiences through school with recognition

of their identity, experience, sexual education and all together experience and

treatment from their teachers and peers (2015). In this study, Dixon et. al., learn that

a quarter of the participants reported that they avoided their schools, due to the fact

that they were unable to conform to the dominant gender stereotypes (Dixon et. al.,

2015). In relation to sexual education in the classroom two students particular

experiences are highlighted, both these experiences in the education system we

recorded as either not engaging in other sexual presentations rather just focusing on

heterosexual relationships, and a lack of acceptance of homosexual, trans or intersex

relationships as well as describing their education as ‘appalling’ (Dixon et al., 2015,

p.164). When reviewing the use of facilities in school, 40% of participants revealed

they had felt gender segregation in their schools. (Dixon et al., 2015, p.164), this

included lining up in genders, and being told to act appropriate for their gender,

gender specific classes, gendered sporting teams and lastly a lack of transgender

toilets. A more alarming factor in the school system which students had to face were

the staff. Students who reported that they had no teacher support were ‘four times

more likely’ (Dixon et. al., 2015, p.165), to leave school. The results also found that
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the students who were effected by not having the support from their teachers were

also more likely to avoid the school yard during lunch and also had more encounters

with types of harassment and abuse (Dixon et. al., 2015, p.165). These students also

revealed that they encountered offensive language and also revealed that they had

witnessed teachers using inappropriate pronouns to identify students (Dixon et al.,

2015, p. 165).

In comparison to these topics Jacqueline Ullman also found that there were an

alarming amount of students who also encountered negative experiences during their

schooling years. In Jacqueline Ullman’s 2015 paper, she analyses the 2013

nationwide survey involved in the Free2be project, this survey involved seven

hundred and four sexually diverse Australian secondary school students. Ullman’s

goal was to gain a broader understanding on gender and sexual diversity in schools

and the correlation between their experiences and their schooling and how this

impacted their mental health. Similarly to Dixon et al.’s article Ullman found a

distressingly high percentage of 94% of students had heard offensive language in their

school (Ullman, 2015, p. 7), and only 5% of these students reporting that their

teachers intervened (Ullman, 2015, p.7). Studies through the use of surveys have

allowed the experiences of the LGBTQIA community to be voiced and recognised.

Tania Ferfolja writes that although the twenty-first century has allowed the

LGBTQIA community to be able to express themselves and their beliefs through

moments, activism, petitions, public education and obtaining political power it has

allowed the LGBTQIA community to be as a whole more accepted in the Australian

society (2016). Ferfolja discusses that just because certain legislations were passed it

does not mean that the issues for the LGBTQIA community have disappeared, and
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that the schoolyard and education system are still the main contenders in this

discrimination (Ferfolja, 2016). Students still do not feel comfortable or confident

with expressing themselves in the school yard in fear of being bullied by their peers

and even in some cases their teachers. The manifestation of bullying that Ferfolja

describes most evident is not only just physical and verbal abuse but also, ostracising,

graffiti, rumours or gossip as well as cyber bulling (2016). In extreme cases a person

who is under constant homophobic attack can have depression so strongly that it leads

to attempted suicide, which is an extremely problematic situation (Ferfolja, 2016).

Jacqueline Ullman, Dixon et al. and Ferfolja, have all found extremely beneficial

material to back up their thesis of the inequality of the education system in relation to

the LGBTQIA community. These scholars overall have discovered that all Australian

schools regardless of whether they are catholic, private or public are more than likely

to have students that are transgender and gender diverse, which is why the education

system and teachers need to offer suitable lessons and treatment for these students in

order for an overall inclusive schooling experience.

This social justice issue is not only just about the LGBTQIA community and their

discriminations in the education system and schools, but also about the imbalances

between the sexes. Researching this topic highlights that schools still are dictating the

norms between male and female students. This can be through the way certain

teachers’ stereotype or praise a certain gender, as well as subject offered to students

depending on their gender. An example of this injustice can been seen in Rosemary

Bolger’s 2017 article which discusses how female students feel they are unfairly

treated compared to boys (Bolger, 2017). Bolger’s article investigates a survey of

1700 girls between the ages of 10-17, with an alarming 98% of these girls claiming
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they have been involved in unfair treatment (Bolger, 2017), this includes young girls

from a Catholic high school in Sydney’s West identifying that they were unable to

participate in activities due to their gender (Bolger, 2017), or boys not being

disciplined when they have portrayed unacceptable behaviour. This is a prime

example of “hegemonic masculinity” (Ullman, 2016, p.43), due to the fact that the

males are positioned as the dominate over the females. Teachers are seen as role

models for students and their attitudes in the classroom can affect their students.

Teachers not showing or leading by a positive example allows the students to condone

homophobic behaviour in the classroom as well as the GWS community.

In conclusion the social justice issue of gender and sexuality in the education system

and the Greater Western Sydney society may appear to be accepting of those who are

sexually diverse, but through closer investigation of the social justice issue there are

still major concerns in the education system and the Greater Western Sydney

community. The education system still lacks the inclusion of the LGBTQIA

community as well as students reporting that there is still an absence of support from

their teachers. The students surveyed all have communicated the fact that they have

witnessed or been a victim too school based harassment and abuse by their teachers

and peers, with little to no consequences for those perpetrators. Although the

Department of Education has rules and regulations set in place to avoid these

distressing situations for students, it is made evident that these policies are not always

abided by. Although acceptance of gender diversity and sexuality is more of an open

forum then it once was, the education system, schools and the Greater Western

Sydney still are highly gender bias and lack gender inclusion.
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References:

Australian Pride Network. (2018) New South Wales. Australian Pride Network.

Retrieved From

http://australianpridenetwork.com.au/lgbtiq-festivals/new-south-wales/
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Bolger, R. (2017, October 11). School-aged sexism: 98 per cent of girls feel unfairly

treated compared to boys. SBS News. Retrieved From

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/school-aged-sexism-98-per-cent-of-girls-feel-unfairly-

treated-compared-to-boys

Dixon, J., Hillier, L., Jones, T., Mitchell, A., Smith, E., Ward, R. (2016). School

experiences of transgender and gender diverse students in Australia, Sex Education,

16(2), 156-171. DOI: 10.1080/14681811.2015.1080678 Retrieved From

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14681811.2015.1080678?needAccess=

true

Edelstein, L. (2016, April 7). LGBTQIA glossary: Common gender and sexuality

terms explained. ABC News. Retrieved From

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-07/sexuality-gender-glossary-

definitions/7287572

Ferfolja, T. (2016). Sexual diversities, policy approaches and the constriction of the

subject. Understanding Sociological Theory For Educational Practices. Victoria,

Australia: Cambridge University Press.

New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2000). Gender Equity: At

work in secondary schools. New South Wales Department of Education and Training.

Rogers, D. (2017, November 15). Same-sex marriage result: Don’t blame western

Sydney for its No vote. ABC News. Retrieved From

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-15/same-sex-marriage-the-tale-of-two-

sydneys/9153436
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Ullman, J. (2015). Free2Be?: Exploring the schooling experiences of Australia’s

sexuality and gender diverse secondary school students. Centre for Educational

Research, School of Education, Western Sydney University, Penrith. Retrieved From

https://yeah.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Free2Be.pdf

Ullman, J (2016). Regulating ‘gender climate’. Understanding Sociological Theory

For Educational Practices. Victoria, Australia: Cambridge University Press.