Inclusive school environments have been shown to improve educational outcomes, retention, mental health and overall wellbeing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. Anti-bullying approaches have been common strategies used in schools to promote safety for all students, yet a well-established critique among scholars and educators suggests such approaches by themselves are insufficient. Little research exists investigating the spatial aspects of forming LGBTQ-inclusive school cultures. This article reports on an Australian study exploring teachers' and school staff understandings of how space influences inclusion and how they negotiateed or established 'safe spaces' for LGBTQ students. Drawing on the work of Edward Soja, we explored how participants constituted safety in conceived and perceived spaces, and how this informed the ways in which physical environments were established in the lived space to promote inclusion. We reveal the role of physical, discursive and curriculum spaces in everyday schooling activities and practices to promote LGBTQ inclusion.
History
Publication title
Sex Education
Volume
23
Issue
1
Pagination
1-14
ISSN
1468-1811
Department/School
Education, Office of the School of Social Sciences, Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment
Publisher
Routledge
Publication status
Published
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Rights statement
Copyright 2021 Informa UK Limited
Socio-economic Objectives
160202 Gender aspects in education, 160203 Inclusive education