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

in an awkward situation because I almost, well I obviously did want to stick up for this
girl, cos I knew what it felt like for her but at the same time I would never have wanted
the attention pointing on me as to why I would be sticking up for her that much, do you
see what I mean?
AM: Yeah.
SJ: I had to be careful what words I used um.
AM: Did you feel that if you supported her too much that it would become clear that you
were perhaps gay or bisexual yourself?
SJ: Um, possible yeah. I think, but I think as a teacher you always learn you don’t support
people in terms of in their views, you more just [//] deal with the situation, do you know
what I mean. But obviously I did have feelings towards that situation, so I wanted to
support her but I had to be careful not to. I had to just sort of deal with the situation, deal
with the pupils that behaving out of line rather than particularly sticking up for her if you
see what I mean.
AM: Yeah, so you weren’t really seen to take sides.
SJ: Yeah.
AM: OK, I think it’s interesting what you said, what you were saying about the fact that
you are a female PE teacher and in changing rooms. Um, the reason why I think it’s
interesting, it’s a rhetoric that’s come up quite a lot in my research where [//] um [//]
homosexuality and bisexuality, homosexuality more so is seen as much more sexual than
heterosexuality and I can see where you are coming from in saying that you could be
worried that you’re a female gay teacher in an environment where young women are
getting changed [//] I fear that the reason you are worried about that is because of what
ignorant parents and ignorant other pupils may think. In actuality do you personally really
think that that should be an issue?
SJ: Oh no, not, I don’t think it should be an issue at all. But obviously I know for a fact
that the older girls particularly, if they found out that I was gay, they wouldn’t feel
comfortable me being in the changing rooms.
AM: So they sort of equate, you’re gay, we’re young women, you must fancy us.
SJ: Yeah, oh definitely yeah. But then you could also argue that it’s the same thing as in a
male member of staff cant go into the female changing rooms.
AM: Yeah.
SJ: SO, and I cant go into the boy’s changing rooms, so its kind of the same thing isn’t it
like, you automatically assume that if a male walks into a females changing rooms
they’re in their for the wrong reason.