Non-Normative Gender and Sexual Identities in Schools: - Schools Out

AM: Yeah, OK that’s that’s great. Ok, the next one we touched upon in the first interview
um and I wanted to to talk a bit more about this, was your opinion on how important you
feel it is for LGBT teachers and other staff within schools to be out at work.
SS: Crucial. Absolutely crucial. I think what’s really worrying is that there are straight
members of staff who say it’s not an issue and why does it matter and it’s a private
buisiness.
AM: Yep.
SS: And I think well no it isn’t a private business, it’s who we are and I think its
mistaking that whole concept of what we do in the bedroom as something which is
separate from who we are as a person, and David Watkins in the Teachers TV
programme, have you looked at that yet?
AM: I have, yes I’ve seen that.
SS: You know I mean David says it beautifully you know I am gay, that’s who I am. You
know everyday of my life you know, whatever I’m doing. And it does you know, I think its
[//] I was doing some inset training a couple of nights ago where there was a massive
resistance to um monitoring, having black networks within the police forces offensive,
didn’t understand why you had to monitor people on sexual orientation, didn’t see it as an
issue and I though you know [//] there was a lot of seed throwing I had to do with that
group. I mean it was quite, I was getting into fury with her [//] but they were in the very
place of wanting to say that you know it doesn’t matter and I said well you know if we
don’t, if we don’t come out then everybody assumes everybody’s heterosexual…
AM: {yep}
SS: …and of course being heterosexual, they didn’t see the problem about that.
AM: Yeah.
SS: And it moved to that place and that night. I mean hopefully you know over a time
they will, but its not with the recognition that they saw it as us making a fuss about
something because [//] they hadn’t yet grasped the dominant culture and the minority
culture and how [//] even though I talk about heteronormativity it hadn’t sunk in yet.
AM: Yeah. I mean that’s…
SS: {it takes a while for people to get that.
AM: It does. Yeah I mean obviously I’ve found that that’s more so with straight teachers
and the example you’ve just given is straight teachers thinking well I’m straight, it’s not
my issue. But I’ve come across, I’m sure you’ve probably come across…
SS: {oh yes}