Queer-teacher lives aren’t easy! They experience isolation and bifurcation of their lives on a daily basis. How much more difficult must life be for these teachers in the theologically heteronormative context of the Catholic school? Yet, these teachers remain educators in these institutions, sensing goodness in what they are doing and in the future of these schools. Inspired by this interesting reality of tension, this study asks two important questions. First, how do queer teachers understand their identities as constructed in a Catholic school? Secondly, it wants to know what action teachers will take when they have come to an answer about their constructed identities. This dissertation incorporates queer studies, liberation theology, and critical pedagogy into a bricolage theory to fully address the intersectional lives of its participants. With a methodological approach informed by the ethics of culturally responsive research, this participatory action research begins from a moment of dialogical praxis towards the hope of social engagement. Crafted as a retreat in which queer educators share their stories of working in these institutions, this unique research incorporates the participants into the analysis process as essential actors in understanding the meaning of their own lives. The study reveals the perceptions of queer teachers about the ways that schools make meaning of their role in the educational environment as well as how they make meaning of their lives. Three major themes, “doing queer,” “being queer,” and “enforcing queer” show that these teachers are part of a complex reality in which their identities and performances in Catholic schools are dictated by the pull and push of fear enforced x through many channels in the Catholic school. These themes also show that teachers are actively making new meaning about themselves and acting in ways that seek to dismantle oppression in their institutions. The study also reveals a vibrant spirituality which emerges from the daily experience of being queer in a Catholic school. Geared towards social justice, this spirituality invites us to reimagine that work for social justice may mean pushing into oppression through a paschal victimhood which transforms institutions fundamentally from within.

This student thesis project centers around two subjects, heteronormativity and LGBTQIA+ representation, and examines whether or not they are prominent in today’s schools in a smaller selected municipality in Sweden, if schools strive for inclusivity, and what is done to prevent any potential suffering for the LGBTQIA+ youth. Firstly, this student thesis project presents the theory, more specifically queer theory, that will be used as the basis for results analysis. Secondly, the background is presented with relevant previous research in similar areas where LGBTQIA+ themes or issues and heteronormativity are key elements. Thirdly, this student thesis project presents the questionnaire that eight upper secondary school teachers in English have responded to and what they have responded, followed by the results that consist of an analysis using the previous research. Lastly, this student thesis project concludes that many areas affect how and when LGBTQIA+ issues or questions are represented. One area is responsibility as responsibility appears to be put on teachers, Skolverket, and the students themselves for change to happen. Teachers must dare to include LGBTQIA+ issues or questions, and teachers urge Skolverket to assist in including LGBTQIA+ related topics in the steering documents. The students have a responsibility to take LGBTQIA+ issues or questions seriously as they are presented to them in class and allow themselves to ask questions to gain more knowledge in the area. There is room for improvement in terms of inclusivity as heteronormativity still influences the schools in the selected municipality, making LGBTQIA+-questions secondary and separate rather than a natural part of education.

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This thesis examines how queer identities are represented through characters in The Adventure Zone, a popular Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy comedy podcast that features unique fan contributions and deep involvement from the creators. Drawing on queer theory and theories of stereotypes and language, audience participation, and transmediation, this thesis argues that The Adventure Zone’s portrayal of queer identities both challenges dominant norms and stereotypes while also being shaped by them, and that listening to the podcast can create opportunities to discuss queer identities, LGBTQIA+ questions and the relationships between author and fans online in the Swedish EFL classroom. The findings indicate that the podcast tries to avoid but still falls into some stereotypical ideas even though it welcomes fan inclusion and representation. The character Taako is also found to be a good subject for discussions with students in terms of negotiating ideas of queerness and identity formation in accordance with the school’s democratic mission of inclusivity and sexuality, consent and relationships outlined in the new curriculum.

Den här fenomenologiska studien undersöker hur svenska HBTQIA+-personer upplever sitt demokratiska utrymme på sociala medier. Eftersom sociala medier är en plats där många människor tillbringar mycket tid är det viktigt att marginaliserade grupper känner sig trygg att vara den man är och uttrycka det utan att uppleva kränkningar. Studien genomfördes med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer och tematisk analys. Resultaten visade att intervjupersonerna upplevde deras demokratiska utrymme på sociala medier på olika sätt, vilka kunde delas upp i två teman: Upplevelser och användning av sociala medier och Trygghet att uttrycka sin HBTQIA+-identitet på sociala medier. Intervjupersonerna antydde att deras demokratiska utrymme på sociala medier var begränsat då de uppvisade ett behov av att kontrollera vilka som ser innehåll rörande deras HBTQIA+-identitet. Däremot bidrar också sociala medier till möjlighet till organisering vilket tyder på ett stort demokratiskt utrymme. Studien visade också att intervjupersonernas upplevelse av sociala medier speglar samhället i stort, oavsett plattformens design. Resultaten har ingen påtaglig negativ effekt och kan ha en mindre positiv effekt på designen av sociala medier. / This phenomenological study examines how Swedish LGBTQIA+ individuals experience their democratic space on social media. Since social media is a place where many people spend a lot of time, and it is therefore important that marginalized groups feel safe to be themselves and express themselves without experiencing violations. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. The results showed that the interviewees experienced their democratic space on social media in different ways, which could be divided into two themes: Experiences and use of social media, and safety in expressing their LGBTQIA+ identity on social media. The interviewees suggested that their democratic space on social media was limited as they exhibited a need to control who sees content related to their LGBTQIA+ identity. However, social media also contributes to the possibility of organizing, which indicates a large democratic space. The study also showed that respondents experience of social media reflects society, regardless of platform design. The results have no apparent negative effect and may have a minor positive effect on the design of social media.

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This research explored how art therapists create a safe and inviting environment for clients to discuss topics related to sex and sexuality in therapy. Our research consisted of three main questions: How do art therapists use art therapy techniques, materials, and directives to create a therapeutic environment in which clients can open up about their sexuality? How comfortable and/or experienced are therapists regarding discussion of topics related to sex and sexuality with clients in therapy sessions? What barriers are there to discussing sexuality in therapy, and how does art help overcome those barriers? Our research subjects were practicing art therapists who are alumni of the Marital and Family Therapy program at Loyola Marymount University. We utilized a mixed methods approach through a Qualtrics survey consisting of quantitative, likert-scale questions, as well as qualitative open-ended questions and an optional art making response, and qualitative data gathering through a singular interview including an art response. Through analysis and discussion of the data collected, we identified ways in which art therapy facilitates conversations about sex and sexuality, and ways in which barriers to these conversations and the utilization of art-making to explore them still exist. The data also revealed the importance of therapists’ own comfort level and education regarding these topics, as well as how therapists’ cultural backgrounds contribute to their comfort and motivation to invite these discussions and to seek out continuing education to increase their clinical competence exploring sex and sexuality in sessions with clients.

I denna studie är syftet att undersöka hur personal från behandlingshem för missbruk samtalar kring kön och sexualitet. Studien utgår från behandlingshem med inriktning på enbart kvinnor eller enbart män. I Sverige har homo-, bi- och transsexuella personer sämre psykisk hälsa än heterosexuella personer. Psykisk ohälsa ökar risken för missbruk och hbtq-personer har en ökad risk för missbruk jämfört med den generella befolkningen, varför det har varit av relevans att undersöka normer gällande kön och sexualitet på behandlingshem för missbruk. Det empiriska materialet, som har analyserats genom en kritisk diskursanalytisk ansats, har samlats in genom tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med personal inom behandlingshem för missbruk. I resultatet framgår att diskurserna kring kön och sexualitet till stor del fortfarande är heteronormativa, bland annat genom att utgångspunkten är att brukarnas relationer är heterosexuella samt i diskurser kring att visa sin nakna kropp vid övervakade urinprov. Resultatet lyfter att det kan finnas en osäkerhet kring bemötande av transsexuella personer utifrån vilket pronomen som ska användas samt på vilket behandlingshem en transperson ska placeras. Slutsatsen pekar på att det kan finnas ett behov av kunskap om det heteronormativa privilegiet för att det ska bli möjligt med förändring av ojämlika maktstrukturer kring kön och sexualitet. / The aim of this study is to explore how professionals, from health and rehabilitation clinics for addiction, talk about sex and sexuality. The study includes health and rehabilitation clinics for only women or only men. In Sweden, mental illness is more prevalent among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual population than for the heterosexual population. Mental illness increases the risk for alcohol and drug addiction and people within the LGBT community have an increased risk of addiction than the rest of the population, thus it is of relevance to explore norms regarding gender and sexuality in rehabilitation clinics. The empirical material has been collected via ten semi-structured interviews with professionals of health and rehabilitation clinics for addiction. The result indicates that the discourses regarding sex and sexuality still in many ways are heteronormative and it shows among others by the assumptions that the relationships of the clients are heterosexual. It also shows when it is assumed that the clients are cis in the discourse regarding showing the naked body when leaving monitored urine samples. The result illustrates that there could be an insecurity among the professionals when it comes to use the correct pronoun when talking about transsexual people and in which health and rehabilitation clinic a transsexual person can be accepted for treatment. The conclusion indicates that knowledge about the heteronormative privilege could be necessary to enable change of unequal power structures regarding sex and sexuality.

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