Keynote Presentation: Thinking and talking about gender and sexuality at school: Resisting the loud silences

Over the last two decades, research has increasingly demonstrated that schools are heteronormative institutions which negatively impact students (and teachers) who are gender or sexuality diverse. More recently, research is beginning to show that strong, binary and essentialising gender norms limit the belonging and behavioural capacity of cisgender and heterosexual students as well. In this presentation, we will review some of this research and explore some of the limitations of environments that provide greater social and cultural rewards for gender norm conformity. We will also explore how anti-bullying policies and other elements of schooling environments often exacerbate these problems. In addition, some strategies for building more positive school initiatives to support gender and sexuality diversity will be explored.

Dr Victoria Rawlings

Victoria Rawlings is a Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow in the University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work. She works alongside school communities with teacher and student co-researchers to explore and influence institutional cultures of gender and sexuality. She also conducts research on cultures of gender and sexuality in other spaces, and has previously worked with girls and women who umpire Australian Football and queer scientists.