“The Worst Part Was Coming Back Home and Feeling Like Crying”: Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Students in Portuguese Schools

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Jorge Gato¹  Daniela Leal¹  Carla Moleiro³  Telmo Fernandes¹  Diogo Nunes³  Inês Marinho¹  Oren Pizmony-Levy⁴  Cody Freeman⁵ 

[1] Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto;Center for Psychology, University of Porto;ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon;Teachers College, Columbia University, United States;Faculty of Learning Sciences and Education, Thammasat University

关键词: school climate (or environment);    discrimination;    bullying;    LGBTI;    Portugal;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02936

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Portugal is one of the most egalitarian countries in Europe in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals’ legal rights. However, regarding education Portugal still lacks specific policies, plans and interventions to protect LGBTI students. To assess the perceptions of self-identified LGBTI youth regarding their school context, a total of 663 participants (aged from 15 to 20 years old) filled in an on-line questionnaire about their school climate. One hundred and forty-six of them answered an open-ended question about their personal experiences. A thematic analysis of these answers was conducted, and four main categories were identified: (i) victimization, (ii) coming out experiences, (iii) support networks, and (iv) demands. Most participants reported experiences of discrimination, and several sources of prejudice were identified. Furthermore, participants also recognized a lack of LGBTI information in school curriculum and made several demands. Besides inclusive laws, we suggest that the safety and the well-being of LGBTI youths in Portuguese schools depend upon others measures, such as teacher and school staff training, curricula inclusive of LGBTI diversity, and local strategies, such as Gay-Straight Alliances.

【 授权许可】

CC BY