Abstract
Since September 1991 I have been engaged in a research project in which we set out to explore the experiences of lesbian and gay students, teachers, and parents in relation to the English system of education.2 In the course of the project, we have interviewed or held group discussions with some 30 lesbians and gay men, as well as carrying out ethnographic work in four schools and in a lesbian and gay youth group.3 While the majority of our respondents have been white, we have also spoken with lesbians and gays of African and of South Asian descent.4 My own contribution to the field work for this project has been that of interviewing many of our lesbian and gay respondents and participant observation in one of the schools. Doing the research, I have been struck forcibly by the various forms of harassment experienced by our female respondents as well as by those men and boys who identified as and/or were perceived as gay or effeminate by their peers and/or teachers. During the same period, and partly because of the research findings, I have found myself reflecting on my own experiences of harassment and those of my students in both the recent and more distant past. This chapter is, in large part, the result of these reflections and of discussions I have had with students, colleagues, and friends about the issues involved.5
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
I would like to thank Joyce Canaan for her detailed comments on an earlier draft of this paper. I would also like to thank Diana Leonard, who chaired the BSA conference session at which I gave this paper and Janet Holland for her editorial comments in relation to this book. Thank you also to Richard Johnson, Deborah Lynn Steinberg, and Gaby Weiner for their comments on earlier drafts of the paper.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adkins, L. (1995) Gendered Work: Sexuality, Family and the Labour Market (Buckingham: Open University Press).
Alistair, Dave, Rachel and Teresa (1994) ‘So the Theory was Fine’, in D. Epstein (ed.) Challenging Lesbian and Gay Inequalities in Education (Buckingham: Open University Press).
‘“Apologise”, Save the Children Told’, Pink Paper (1994b), 21 October, p. 6.
Appleby, Y. (1994) ‘Out in the Margins’, Disability and Society, 9: 1, pp. 19–32.
Bhattacharyya, G. (1994) ‘Offence is the Best Defence? — Pornography and Racial Violence’, in C. Brant and Y. L. Too (eds) Rethinking Sexual Harassment (London: Pluto Press).
Butler, J. (1990) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (London: Routledge).
Clarricoates, K. (1987) ‘Dinosaurs in the Classroom — The “Hidden” Curriculum in Primary Schools’, in M. Arnot and G. Weiner (eds) Gender and the Politics of Schooling (London: Hutchinson/Open University).
Cohen, P. (1988) ‘The Perversions of Inheritance: Studies in the Making of Multi-Racist Britain’, in P. Cohen and H. S. Bains (eds) Multi-Racist Britain (Basingstoke: Macmillan).
Collins, P. H. (1990) Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (London: Harper Collins Academic).
de Lyon, H. (1989) ‘Sexual Harassment’, in H. de Lyon and F. W. Migniuolo (eds) Women Teachers: Issues and Experiences (Milton Keynes: Open University Press).
Epstein, D. and Johnson, R. (1994) ‘On the Straight and the Narrow: The Heterosexual Presumption, Homophobias and Schools’, in D. Epstein (ed.) Challenging Lesbian and Gay Inequalities in Education (Buckingham: Open University Press).
Evans, D. T. (1993) Sexual Citizenship: The Material Construction of Sexualities (London: Routledge).
Hanmer, J. and Maynard, M. (eds) (1987) Women Violence and Social Control (Basingstoke: Macmillan).
Herbert, C. (1992) Sexual Harassment in Schools: A Guide for Teachers (London: David Fulton).
Hollway, W. (1984) ‘Gender Difference and the Production of Subjectivity’, in J. Henriques, W. Hollway, C. Urwin, C. Venn and V. Walkerdine, Changing the Subject: Psychology, Social Regulation and Subjectivity (London: Methuen).
Hollway, W. (1989) Subjectivity and Method in Psychology: Gender, Meaning and Science (London: Sage).
hooks, b. (1982) Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (London: Pluto).
hooks, b. (1989) Talking Back: Thinking Feminist — Thinking Black (London: Sheba Feminist Publishers).
hooks, b. (1991) Yearning: Race, Gender and Cultural Politics (London: Turnaround).
hooks, b. (1992) Black Looks: Race and Representation (London: Turnaround).
Julien, I. and Mercer, K. (1988) True Confessions: A Discourse on Images of Black Male Sexuality’, in R, Chapman and J. Rutherford (eds) Male Order: Unwrapping Masculinity (London: Lawrence & Wishart).
Kerr, E. (1991) ‘Perversion and Subversion: A Study of Lesbian and Gay Strategies of Resistance’, unpublished MA dissertation, Department of Cultural Studies, University of Birmingham
Lees, S. (1986) Losing Out: Sexuality and Adolescent Girls (London: Hutchinson).
Lees, S. (1993) Sugar and Spice: Sexuality and Adolescent Girls (London: Penguin).
Mac an Ghaill, M. (1994) ‘(In)visibility: Sexuality, Race and Masculinity in the School Context’, in D. Epstein (ed.) Challenging Lesbian and Gay Inequalities in Education (Buckingham: Open University Press).
MacKinnon, C. A. (1979) Sexual Harassment of Working Women (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press).
Mahony, P. (1989) ‘Sexual Violence and Mixed Schools’, in C. Jones and P. Mahony (eds) Learning Our Lines: Sexuality and Social Control in Education (London: Women’s Press).
Morris, J. (1991) Pride against Prejudice: Transforming Attitudes to Disability/A Personal Politics of Disability (London: The Women’s Press).
Morrison, T. (1993) ‘Introduction: Friday on the Potomac’, in T. Morrison (ed.) Race-ing Justice, En-gendering Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas and the Construction of Social Reality (London: Chatto & Windus).
National Union of Teachers (1986) Dealing with Sexual Harassment (London: NUT).
Rich, A. (1980) ‘Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence’, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 5: 41, pp. 631–60.
Rogers, M. (1994) ‘Growing Up Lesbian: The Role of the School’, in D. Epstein (ed.) Challenging Lesbian and Gay Inequalities in Education (Buckingham: Open University Press).
‘Staff Split over Toksvig Row’, Pink Paper (1994a) 14 October, p. 5.
Tyler, C.-A. (1991) ‘Boys Will be Girls: the Politics of Gay Drag’, in D. Fuss (ed.) Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories (London: Routledge).
Weeks, J. (1981) Sex, Politics and Society: The Regulation of Sexuality Since 1800 (London: Longman).
Willis, P. (1977) Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids get Working Class Jobs (London: Saxon House).
Wise, S. and Stanley, L. (1987) Georgie Porgie: Sexual Harassment in Everyday Life (London: Pandora Press).
Wittig, M. (1980) ‘The Straight Mind’, Feminist Issues, 1: 1, pp. 103–11.
Wittig, M. (1981) ‘One is Not Born a Woman’, Feminist Issues, 1: 2, pp. 46–54.
Wood, J. (1984) ‘Groping Towards Sexism: Boys’ Sex Talk’, in A. McRobbie and M. Nava (eds) Gender and Generation (Basingstoke: Macmillan).
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1996 British Sociological Association
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Epstein, D. (1996). Keeping them in their Place: Hetero/sexist Harassment, Gender and the Enforcement of Heterosexuality. In: Holland, J., Adkins, L. (eds) Sex, Sensibility and the Gendered Body. Explorations in Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24536-9_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24536-9_11
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-65002-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-24536-9
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)