Gender and sexuality diversity, policy framings and the construction of the subject

It is vital that schools educate young people to promote a harmonious society that is safe and inclusive for all. To do this, policy, curricula and other resources could convey messages that potentially offer critical guidance to teachers and school administrators; yet, they construct identities in particular ways, some of which may be unhelpful. This chapter examines how gender and sexuality-diverse subjects are constructed at the time of writing. It does so through website documentation from two Australian public schooling institutions: the New South Wales Department of Education and the Victorian Department of Education and Training. The discussion illustrates how education departments constitute particular understandings of gender and sexuality-diverse subjects through their documentation.