Sexual Cultures in Aotearoa NZ Education

Explore the pivotal book *Sexual Cultures in Aotearoa NZ Education* edited by Alexandra Gunn and Lee Smith, a crucial resource highlighting the intersection of sexual and gender diversity within New Zealand's educational landscape. This 256-page paperback challenges the assumption of heterosexuality as the educational norm, shedding light on the implications for teachers, students, and parents in early childhood education, schools, and tertiary settings. As Aotearoa New Zealand ranks as one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly nations with progressive human rights legislation, this book reveals the gap in inclusivity within educational frameworks. The contributors, experts in the field, present vital research that addresses the persistent discriminatory practices affecting sexual minorities. Learn how educational environments can evolve into socially just spaces that embrace and celebrate sexual and gender diversity. This insightful examination encourages educators and policymakers to rethink structures and foster inclusion, resisting the historical injustices that still resonate today. Discover how *Sexual Cultures in Aotearoa NZ Education* can serve as a guide for creating a more equitable educational experience for all individuals.

Author: Alexandra Gunn & Lee Smith (Ed. Publisher: Otago University Press
Bind: paperback
Dimensions: 150 x 230 mm
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01-12-2015

Aotearoa New Zealand was recently rated by the Lonely Planet travel guide as the second most ‘gay friendly’ country in the world, with some of the most advanced human rights legislation. Research suggests, however, that New Zealand’s relatively ‘inclusive’ social climate is not always reflected in our educational settings. This book explores how the assumption that heterosexuality is the norm operates in education, and the discriminatory effects of this for teachers, for students, and for parents, in early childhood education, schools, tertiary and alternative settings. How can education settings become more socially just sites of inclusion for sexual and gender diversity? Contributors from a wide range of sectors discuss their research and invite others to join them in resisting the many injustices perpetuated by the unchecked discriminatory discourses that have shaped New Zealand education historically, and which continue to do so today.