Sissies, Faggots, Lezzies, and Dykes: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and a New Politics of Education?

Abstract

This article seeks to chart a course through the contested areas of gender and sexual orientation in hopes of establishing a theoretical framework and an agenda for much needed future research. In building this article, the author draws from two research traditions, particularly in the areas of history and law. Her stance is that of a critical policy scholar, that is, drawing on neo-Marxist theory generally and Queer Legal Theory specifically. Public schools are governmental entities ruled by laws, regulations, and policies. The people who teach, lead, study, play, and otherwise live within a public school's walls must conform to these dictates or face various legal sanctions including expulsion and job termination. These legal mandates are established through political processes that include court decisions at the state and federal levels. Therefore, legal theories can help analyze and explicate the basic structures that shape daily educational practices. In the areas of gender, sexual orientation, and a possible new politics of education, Queer Legal Theory can be particularly insightful.