Advancing Queerly Responsive Health Education: Confronting Heteronormativity Through Queer and Trans Student Experiences (Poster 20)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 1:45 p.m.
  In Poster Session: Scaling Educational Change: Strategies for Impact Across Levels

Abstract

This study explores the following research question: What are the experiences of queer and trans youth in Utah with the high school-based health education curriculum? Utilizing critical ethnographic methodology, we examine the health curriculum, and its impact on queer and trans youth’s wellness. Through curriculum analysis and in-dept interviews with queer and trans youth, we found that the Utah health education curriculum includes sex education and normalizes heteronormativity. Our findings suggest the need for a queerly responsive educational approach to the health curriculum, and the benefits of schools to partner with community organizations that can provide information for the diverse health needs of all students.

Authors

• Sonny Partola, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

• Leticia Alvarez Gutiérrez, University of Utah