Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooks
Over the past two decades, sexual citizenship has emerged as a new form of citizenship coupled with increased interest in the challenges to citizenship and social justice faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and, in particular, by sexual minority youth within edu...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of the Free State
2012-12-01
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| Series: | Perspectives in Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/1781 |
| _version_ | 1797270934484156416 |
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| author | Cheryl Potgieter Finn C. G. Reygan |
| author_facet | Cheryl Potgieter Finn C. G. Reygan |
| author_sort | Cheryl Potgieter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Over the past two decades, sexual citizenship has emerged as a new form of citizenship coupled with increased interest in the challenges to citizenship and social justice faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and, in particular, by sexual minority youth within education systems. In South Africa, the rights of LGBTI people have been institutionalised in legislation, and research has begun to consider how educators may facilitate a more inclusive school environment for LGBTI youth. Given the focus of the Department of Education on social justice, the present study examines how selected Life Orientation (LO) textbooks for Grades 7 to 12 in South African schools represent and construct LGBTI identities. The study generally finds inconsistency in the representation of these identities. Gay male identities are represented in some instances, lesbian and bisexual identities rarely so, and transgender and intersex identities not at all. Two of the four series examined are almost entirely silent about LGBTI identities. This invisibility negates the different ‘ways of knowing’ of LGBTI learners; tends not to facilitate students in critiquing the discrimination, prejudice and social injustices faced by many LGBTI people, and lessens the importance of social justice and citizenship education in this field in South Africa.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T02:12:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c5bda628ad9c4634a7aa91ad275390ac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0258-2236 2519-593X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T02:12:09Z |
| publishDate | 2012-12-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Perspectives in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-c5bda628ad9c4634a7aa91ad275390ac2024-03-07T11:18:12ZengUniversity of the Free StatePerspectives in Education0258-22362519-593X2012-12-01304Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooksCheryl Potgieter0Finn C. G. Reygan1University of KwaZulu-NatalUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal Over the past two decades, sexual citizenship has emerged as a new form of citizenship coupled with increased interest in the challenges to citizenship and social justice faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and, in particular, by sexual minority youth within education systems. In South Africa, the rights of LGBTI people have been institutionalised in legislation, and research has begun to consider how educators may facilitate a more inclusive school environment for LGBTI youth. Given the focus of the Department of Education on social justice, the present study examines how selected Life Orientation (LO) textbooks for Grades 7 to 12 in South African schools represent and construct LGBTI identities. The study generally finds inconsistency in the representation of these identities. Gay male identities are represented in some instances, lesbian and bisexual identities rarely so, and transgender and intersex identities not at all. Two of the four series examined are almost entirely silent about LGBTI identities. This invisibility negates the different ‘ways of knowing’ of LGBTI learners; tends not to facilitate students in critiquing the discrimination, prejudice and social injustices faced by many LGBTI people, and lessens the importance of social justice and citizenship education in this field in South Africa. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/1781LGBTI youthschoolsSouth Africasexual citizenshipsexual minorities |
| spellingShingle | Cheryl Potgieter Finn C. G. Reygan Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooks Perspectives in Education LGBTI youth schools South Africa sexual citizenship sexual minorities |
| title | Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooks |
| title_full | Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooks |
| title_fullStr | Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooks |
| title_short | Lesbian, gay and bisexual citizenship: A case study as represented in a sample of South African Life Orientation textbooks |
| title_sort | lesbian gay and bisexual citizenship a case study as represented in a sample of south african life orientation textbooks |
| topic | LGBTI youth schools South Africa sexual citizenship sexual minorities |
| url | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/article/view/1781 |
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