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Child and Youth Studies

Name

Date
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Child and Youth Studies

 According to Lapointe (2015), how can GSAs offer insight into disrupting a heterosexist

curriculum?

GSAs offer insight into disrupting a heterosexist curriculum. Students and other

individuals in a school setting can actively resist the dominating discourse of gender within the

learning institution and society through Gay-straight alliances (GSAs). Also, students argue that

being part of the GSA gave them the language to challenge their peers within the school

curriculum. The GSA also actively educates individuals in an institution by talking to training

teachers at the local universities. The presence of GSAs in an institution boosts the willingness

and ability of tutors to support LGBTIQ students and provides new teaching models to teachers.

GSAs promote feelings of inclusion among individuals in a school setup. GSAs also encourage

engagement and influence the climate of schools. It equips educators with queer teaching and

learning practices that disrupt the privileging of heterosexuality in schools, contributes to anti-

homophobic education, and encourage students to challenge heterosexism through inquiry and

dialogue (Lapointe, 2016).

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References

Lapointe, A. A. (2016). Queering the social studies: Lessons to be learned from Canadian

secondary school gay-straight alliances. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 40(3),

205-215. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885985X15000418