“My Mother Thought That Boys Would Be a Distraction”: Single-Sex Schooling and Queer Youth

• In Event: Roundtable Session 78
  In Roundtable Session: Coming Out and Being Out in Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the ways in which queer youth negotiate the heteronormative space of single-sex schooling. Single-sex schooling is conceived of as a way to remove the distractions of sexual attraction from classrooms. Data were gathered from two queer young females who attended single-sex schools. Open coding resulted in three major themes: “lack of support,” “heterosexual hegemony,” and “policing the dance & P.D.A.” The voices of these two females make clear that while heterosexual students may be more able to focus on their studies in single-sex classrooms, queer youth are left to form oppositional or hidden identities in order to simply survive. Implications for those interested in school climate and safety will be shared.

Authors

• Bettina L. Love, University of Georgia

• Brandelyn L. Tosolt, Northern Kentucky University