| Summary: | This phenomenological qualitative study is informed by integrated theories
including a social constructionist perspective on human sexuality, sexual identity
development models, heterosexism with theoretical support of minority stress model
and feminist theory. The aim was to uncover the lived experiences of 20 male sexual
minority students navigating heterosexism in secondary schools, within the socio-cultural
context of Hong Kong Chinese society.
Due to the invisibility of sexual minority adolescents in Hong Kong, purposeful
sampling was used to recruit informants who were having same-sex sexual attractions
and/or sexual behaviors/sexual identity. Over the period 2008-2011, twenty male
informants, aged 14 to 19 and currently enrolled in secondary schools, were recruited
for in-depth interviews. In terms of community labels, these informants might be
known as gay, bisexual, memBa, tongzhi, tongxinglian, and those who are still
questioning their sexual identity. Parental consents were waived for informants under
eighteen years old and alternative measures were carried out to safeguard
confidentiality and their best interests.
Qualitative data analyses via a software package NVivo yielded several
overarching themes: 1) “exploring my sexuality in school”; 2) “feeling powerless
over overt homophobia”; 3) “feeling alienated over heteronormative assumptions”; 4)
“feeling oppressed over silencing”; 5) “angry over curriculum omission”; 6)
“distressed with risk stories”; and 7) “empowered with stories of resilience”. The
results suggest that with variations in their sexual identity developmental process,
they defined and interpreted their sexualities with reference to the specific social
cultural context of Hong Kong, especially linked to the Christian value, Chinese
Confucianism and Western human rights concepts. In the process of exploring a
stigmatized sexual identity within schools, the informants generally felt powerless,
alienated, and oppressed when encountering psychological and cultural heterosexism,
manifested through overt and subtle forms by individuals and the systems within the
school context. In the process of navigating homophobia and heterosexism,
informants shared both risk and resilience stories.
The current findings will be helpful for those in the teaching and counseling
professions. These professionals can also help raise public awareness of this group of
students in order to eliminate the social stigma, prejudice, and discrimination that still
plague sexual minorities. Recommendations are made for further research, education
policy, professional training for teachers and counselors, and support services for
sexual minority students. === published_or_final_version === Education === Doctoral === Doctor of Education
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