Homophobia in Catholic schools: An exploration of teachers’ rights and experiences in Canada and Australia

Abstract

Little is known about the experiences of non-heterosexual educators in Catholic schools. This international analysis reveals previously unreported data from Australian and Canadian qualitative studies that examine the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) teachers, and LGBTI Allies from Australia and Canada who are currently teaching or have taught in Catholic schools. Bringing their work together for the first time, the two lead researchers compare their investigations and reveal disheartening similarities with religiously inspired homophobia despite differing legal and policy contexts of the two countries. These two studies demonstrate that LGBTI teachers, and LGBTI Allies, rely on their personal beliefs and local school community culture and policies to understand their equality rights and this has significant implications for the field of education.