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

SJ: Yeah I think, I have done that before on rare occasions, cos I think you you’re. So for
example if I’m on break time duty and you walk in and there are hundreds of kids around
and you hear a comment like that [//] you wont, you wont go and focus your attentions on
that one person because you are supposed to be supervising the whole of the playground.
So in that sense it’s not practical to call somebody up about that every single time. But, I
have for example in my lessons before if I hear somebody call it, I I’ll probably address it
then. I wont address fully, but I would address it, I’ll let them know that they shouldn’t
call people that. Do they understand what it means.
AM: OK, well that’s important and I think the practicality of challenging it is a good
point….
SJ: {Yeah.}
AM: …that I hadn’t thought of. Say you are in a class of say twenty-five, thirty people
and one person perhaps stands up and says it, you can perhaps challenges it.
SJ: Yeah.
AM: But if it’s in the playground where you are meant to be looking after hundreds of
people [//]
SJ: It’s just not possible.
AM: It’s just not possible. OK, I the one case that you gave me of the um homophobic
bullying, do you know what action has been taken as a result? Was it just dealt with by
yourself in that, um [//] in that instance or did it go further?
SJ: Um (sigh) let’s see if I can remember, on that, we were in the changing rooms after it
had all happened um I then got the girls that were, I mean the whole class was involved,
but um I got the main core of girls that was involved in terms of the actual bullying and
they were sent to a separate space to the girl that was actually being bullied um and then
their head of year was brought down and they were taken away and dealt with. The girl
that was being bullied was taken to matron um for her to look after and calm her down
and the other girls were taken off by their head of year. I don’t, I didn’t hear about then
what punishment was actually given to them. I would have thought more than likely it
would have been an after school detention, that’s what generally is given for any
situations like that whether it be gay related or not. If they are being picked on normally
it’s an after school detention that they are given.
AM: Right, OK, um. Moving on to the next section then. Within schools who importantly
do you feel it is for combating these problems of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia
and heteronormativity, for staff to recognise that firstly bullying is occurring in their
schools and not just ignoring it and secondly that male and female binaries and
heterosexuality shouldn’t just be presumed?
SJ: How important do I think it is?