Regulating 'gender climate' : exploring the social construction of gender and sexuality in regional and rural Australian schools

The school experiences of same-sex attracted (SSA), transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) young people have received a great deal of attention in both the mainstream media and academic research in recent years. This increased awareness of the school-based marginalisation faced by some SSA and TGNC students, as well as the importance of supportive teachers, has prompted a number of Australian schools to adopt some degree of anti-homophobia education and to begin to make space for gay/straight alliances (GSAs) or ally groups. In contrast to a school environment historically characterised by the marginalisation and silencing of diverse sexualities and genders, this is a definite move forward. Nevertheless, this style of program can be reductionist in nature, particularly if school-based inclusivity is limited to slogans of 'equal rights' and 'zero-tolerance (for homophobia)' or to various symbolic manifestations of support (such as rainbows or wearing purple on a particular day of the year), which lack substance if situated as stand-alone content or single-day events.