Keywords

Key Points

  • Two fifths of LGBTQ+ people experience education-based euphorias; likelihood increased for those who were ‘out’ or staff members.

  • Likelihood decreased for LGBTQ+ people who identified as heterosexual or students’ parents; or attended religious or rural institutions.

  • LGBTQ+ people mainly experienced euphorias sometimes (46%) or often (34%).

  • Community Connection euphoria expands with socialisation, Acceptance euphorias build more gradually.

  • ‘Euphoria blockers’, especially disapproving parents, cause sudden and ongoing shifts for LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias.

Introduction

I have been able to find a community of people who are supportive of my identity. This has allowed me to become more confident … For example, in year 8 (the first year of high-school in SA), I couldn’t even muster up the courage to go near the GSD [gender and sexuality diversity] room, in case someone saw me. (…) Now, in year 10, I will often hold hands with my friends and not worry what others might think, I have been a part of many different projects where we painted a rainbow mural (even signed my name on it) and have performed as part of ‘Wear it Purple Day’ (which was an event I was involved in organising and running). Even just advocating for pronouns on badges, all these things I wouldn’t have been able to do in year 8 due to the anxiety associated with being involved in something LGBTQ+-related. (Giovanni, Bisexual Non-Binary Person, 16yrs, on Community Connection, Institutional Inclusion and Acceptance euphorias expanding with community contact and activism)

Education institutions, shared sites LGBTQ+ people typically attend in democracies, enable exploration of collective euphoria trends. Research shows Western democratic education institutions including in Australia are largely neoliberal or conservative in nature [1, 2]. They promote individualist competitive skill and knowledge development; or traditional employment hierarchies and values inculcation; above whole-scale critical reforms for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) and other othered people [1, 2]. This chapter describes how Australian education addresses sexuality and gender, and then reports on education-based euphoria trends from Australian surveys of LGBTQ+ people.

Australian Education on Gender and Sexuality

In Australia, government or ‘public’ schools have most enrolments (65.1%), followed by Catholic schools (19.5%) and independent schools (15.4%) [3]. The latter two sectors have had anti-discrimination law exemptions for their treatment of LGBTQ+ people since 2013 [4]. Policy makers and educators alike are influenced by assumptions about parents’ dis/approval of LGBTQ+ people, including their coverage in K-12 curricula [5, 6]. In recent years, multiple draft laws have been debated in parliaments to ‘protect parents’ from having LGBTQ+ topics taught to their offspring in schools and universities [e.g. 7, 8]. Repeated Murdoch-owned media emphasis on (sparse) parental anecdotes resisting LGBTQ+ curricula coverage over the past decade, contributed to the de-funding of the national ‘Safe Schools Program’ which combatted anti-LGBTIQ+ violence [9]. Contrary to these constructions, data from Australian parents (N=2093) show over 80% support primary and secondary school coverage of gender and sexuality diversity-inclusive relationships and sexual health education [5].

The new Australian Curriculum emphasises a teacher-facilitated approach to sexuality education, encouraging students to think critically about sexual diversity [10]. For 156 teachers surveyed who had taught it, most of their sexuality education work occurs in secondary schooling (Grades 7–10) and little in senior secondary (Grades 11–12), primary (K-6) or early childhood [11]. Under half of teachers were comfortable addressing sexuality and gender diversity; yet four fifths report their school requires them to address sexual diversity. Less than half the teachers addressed intersex issues (43%), and transphobia was the least addressed of all topics (39%). A survey of 2500 Australian students aged 14+ yrs showed gender and sexuality coverage in public schools privileged comprehensive equitable approaches and tolerance for diversity [1]. Catholic students more often reported schools promoting essentialist binary sex-gender roles and diversity censorship [1].

Sexuality, then gender, are the two topics Australian students and teachers most want improved school coverage for [1, 11]. Rural LGBTQ+ students report increased gender and sexuality education coverage needs; isolation; identity concealment and worse wellbeing [12, 13]. Many shared narratives evidencing Gray’s [14] ‘metronormativity’—assuming their identities required metropolitan contexts.

Redressing Education Euphoria Research Gaps

The ‘LGBTQ+ You’ study was designed as an affirming sociological study exploring LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias to answer the call for more positive education research on LGBTQ+ people [14, 15], and affective analyses [16,17,18]. It framed euphorias as happiness or comfort in identities that may have cultural, institutional, and relational elements [19,20,21]. It asked:

  1. 1.

    How can we characterise typical euphoric (happy or comfortable) experiences of LGBTQ+ people in education settings, and their influences?

  2. 2.

    How do these euphorias typically change over time, and what influences changes?

Methodology & Method

Online Survey

The ‘LGBTQ+ You’ study collected data on LGBTQ+ people aged 14yrs and above, in education contexts. It was therefore structured around education-based roles; participants could complete anonymous online student, staff, or parent/guardian surveys. Survey use was informed by the ideals of positive social-psychology seeking affirming self-constructions [22], and critical views privileging LGBTQ+ insider insights into service systems using larger-scale data [23]. Survey development was led by LGBTQ+ individuals active in education policy and intervention consultancies with quantitative and qualitative psychology, sociology, and health science expertise. We consulted with LGBTQ+ organisations (Rainbow Network and others) on wording sensitivities. The surveys were hosted by Lime Survey, via the Macquarie University website. They had up to 50 forced-choice and open-ended questions (depending on selections triggering additional questions) around demographics, education, and euphorias. The sex, gender and sexuality questions applied the Australian Bureau of Statistics/ABS [24] and UNESCO [25] standards, wherein sex includes sex characteristics and initial sex allocation at birth [24, 25]. However, intersex euphorias are addressed separately (Chap. 7) using data from a more targeted intersex cohort survey as recommended. Gender includes social and cultural differences in identity determined by asking how participants describe their gender identity and offering common choices [24, 25]; and write-in space enabling individuation [26, 27].

Approval was obtained for this project from the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee in 2021 (52022946538066). Ethical considerations towards enhancing safety included that the participants self-selected to join the research, had the right not to answer any question, and were supplied links to cohort help lines and support groups across the survey. Younger participants (aged 14–17) were not required to seek parental approval for participation, given past data on outness engendering parental/guardian abuse [27,28,29]. Due to the likelihood of fewer older participants and risks of workplace outings, we used age-ranges for adult surveys but enabled direct ages for youth (a larger cohort). The survey ran June 2021-May 2022. Recruitment utilised paid advertising via Facebook and Instagram (Fig. 3.1), alongside announcements via university media, LGBTQ+ websites, e-lists, advocates, and word-of-mouth.

Fig. 3.1
3 advertisements. 1. A poster has a cartoon of 2 women holding hands along with a child. Overlapping text reads, take the parent slash guardian survey. Other text reads, Parents have your say, only takes 10 to 15 minutes. The Macquarie University logo is at the bottom left. 2. A poster has a cartoon of a man and a woman who stand with folded hands. The text reads, School staff have your say, only takes 10 to 15 minutes. The Macquarie University logo is at the bottom right. 3. A poster of a cartoon of 3 people who stand with their arms over their shoulders. The overlapping text reads, Take the student survey.figure 1

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Data Analysis

Quantitative data were downloaded from the Lime Survey site and then transposed into SPSS v15 and Excel. Whilst 7050 surveys were initially collected (5274 student, 922 staff and 854 parent surveys); data cleansing removed non-response, incomplete and non-target-group surveys. This left 2407 survey participants responses (1969 students, 230 staff, and 208 parents). Basic descriptive and correlative statistical analyses were undertaken for quantitative data in SPSS and Excel including chi-square tests.

Within the qualitative analyses of survey written responses around euphoria sources and changes, social concepts were foregrounded as they appear within participants’ own conceptual frames and terms using initial grounded thematic analyses emphasising commonalities. Two fluid coding stages placed a focus on emergent categories/strategies [30]. The automated content analysis programme Leximancer, historically used in sociology and psychology studies [31] was firstly applied to analyse participants’ comments on two questions where they (1) explained a time when they experienced euphoria, and (2) how their euphoric experiences changed over time. All answers for each question were collated into PDFs by education role-group, and uploaded to Leximancer both collectively per question and individually by education role-group per question (student, staff, parent/guardian). Leximancer uses word occurrence and co-occurrence counts to identify dominant themes, their sub-concepts, and how they relate. It was applied to ensure dominant thematic concepts and their ‘typical’ quote samples were identified and examined systematically based on data representativeness. Equivalent concepts in different tense (became/become), quantity (parent/parents), capitalisation (student/Student) or acronym forms (e.g. LGBT/LGBTQ) were merged in Leximancer’s concept-editing stages. Reproducible concept maps evidence how participant comments’ over-arching themes and sub-concepts related, were auto-generated using Leximancer, with theme titles auto-named for the dominant sub-concept in each cluster. Each concept map visually shows asymmetric concept occurrence and co-occurrence information (size, relationships and groupings of themes and sub-concepts) from software-driven content analyses of comments. Map settings were kept at ‘100% visibility’, which made all sub-concepts visible and ‘50% theme size’, showing only common themes/overlaps. Leximancer algorithms have been verified for foregrounding the global significance and context of concepts and their relations, ensuring that analyses focussed on typicality, not one-off atypical/erroneous anecdotes [32].

All Leximancer-identified themes were secondly elevated for theoretical sampling: tracing euphorias’ types and change-trends for the role-groups over time. Open coding processes included line-by-line coding; different euphorias within a single story were separated out for cross-checking of concept-level and individual-level ‘meanings’. Finally, coding actions exposed implicit and explicit connections between euphorias. This chapter reports and discusses key collective findings for LGBTQ+ survey participants overall; subsequent chapters discuss sub-groups (students, staff, or parent/guardians) only. Leximancer-selected theme-typical quotes are reported using gender-congruent pseudonyms. Discussion sections apply the ecological model (Chap. 2), to understand euphoria trends.

Collective Findings across the 2021–2022 LGBTQ+ You Surveys

Existence of Education-based Euphorias

Participants were asked whether they had ever had euphoric (happy or comfortable) experiences in schools around their LGBTQ+ identity. Most respondents were unsure (998, 41.6%), some had felt euphoric (932, 38.8%) and a fifth had not (471, 19.6%)—see Fig. 3.2. Table 3.1 displays these data by participant demographics. Chi-square tests supported no significance for LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias overall by age, Indigeneity, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD), dis/ability, sex assignation, gender or their education institution’s state or level (all p > 0.05). Table 3.2 shows heterosexual LGBTQ+ people were least likely to experience euphorias by sexuality group (p < 0.001, Fig. 3.3). LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias had a highly significant decreased likelihood of emerging in religious private (p < 0.001, Fig. 3.4) and rural education institutions (p < 0.001, Fig. 3.5). Participants’ school-based role was a highly significant factor explored in upcoming chapters (p = 0.001); staff were most likely to experience euphorias, followed by students and lastly parents. Finally, Fig. 3.6 shows a highly significant inverse relationship between LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias and LGBTQ+ identity concealment in education institutions (p < 0.001).

Fig. 3.2
A pie chart labeled as L G B T Q plus people in education depicts values in percentages. Yes had felt euphoric about L G B T Q plus identity in school, 39 percent. No, 20 percent. Unsure, 41 percent.

Whether LGBTQ+ people felt euphoric about identity in education

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Table 3.1 LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias versus demographics
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Table 3.2 Relationships between LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias and demographics
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Fig. 3.3
A horizontally stacked bar chart plots euphoric experiences versus sexuality for heterosexual, asexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian, another answer. Each stack represents, yes had euphoric experiences about L G B T Q plus identity in school, unsure, and no. Bisexuals have the most euphoric experiences, followed by heterosexuals, who have the fewest.

LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias versus sexuality

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Fig. 3.4
A horizontally stacked bar chart plots euphoric experiences versus school type for religious private or independent, government or public, non-religious private or independent, and other. Each stack represents, yes had euphoric experiences about L G B T Q plus identity in school, unsure, and no. The government or public has the most euphoric experiences, followed by others who have the fewest.

LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias versus school type

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Fig. 3.5
A horizontally stacked bar chart plots euphoric experiences versus school rurality for regional or rural area, unsure area type, and urban slash suburban. Each stack represents, yes had euphoric experiences about L G B T Q plus identity in school, unsure, and no. The most euphoric experiences are found in urban slash suburban areas, followed by unsure area types, who have the fewest.

LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias versus school rurality

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Fig. 3.6
A horizontally stacked bar chart plots euphoric experiences versus identity concealment frequency for always, often, sometimes, rarely and never. Each stack represents, yes had euphoric experiences about L G B T Q plus identity in school, unsure, and no. Sometimes has the most euphoric experiences, followed by always who have the fewest.

LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias versus identity concealment frequency

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Frequency of Education-based Euphorias

Participants who experienced education-based euphorias about their LGBTQ+ identities were asked how often they experienced them. Figure 3.7 shows most selected ‘sometimes’ (42.8%) or ‘often’ (34.8%). LGBTQ+ parents experienced euphorias most consistently (mainly often and always), followed by staff (mainly often and sometimes) and students (mainly sometimes). A chi-square test of independence showed the relation between role and euphoria frequency was significant, χ2 (6, (N=916) = 86.06, p < 0.001).

Fig. 3.7
A bar chart plots frequency versus euphoric experiences for always experience euphorias, often, sometimes, and rarely. The maximum frequency is 380 for sometimes, with a minimum of 75 for always experiencing euphoria. The values are approximate.

LGBTQ+ people’s euphoric frequency

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LGBTQ+ People’s Education-based Euphorias

LGBTQ+ people were asked to describe a time when they felt particularly euphoric about their LGBTQ+ identity in their education context. Leximancer uncovered five themes in the 870 write-in responses: people, school, friends, teachers, and gay (Fig. 3.8).

Fig. 3.8
A network diagram depicts friends, people, school, gay, and teachers interconnected with each other via comfortable, queer, students, class and many others within color gradient circles. Below it is a colored horizontal bar graph along with headings, theme, and hits. Some of the listed theme and hits are people, school, friends and 609, 544, and 421, respectively.

Leximancer map for LGBTQ+ people’s euphoria descriptions (N=870). (Note: Dark font indicates Leximancer-generated sub-concepts, light font indicates over-arching theme titles from dominant sub-concept, circles indicate theme showing any overlap or shared sub-concepts)

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‘People’: Community Connection Euphoria

The largest Leximancer-identified theme was ‘people’ (609 hits, 47% relationality). It focussed on LGBTQ+ people’s feelings of happiness, comfort, satisfaction, and safety associated with connection to other LGBTQ+ individuals and groups in shared education settings (sub-concepts: people, felt, community, comfortable, happy, LGBTQ, group, time, queer, sexuality, safe, talk, able, friend, having). LGBTQ+ community connections typically occurred within friendships. For example, Gerhard (Bisexual Cis-male, 16yrs) felt euphoria at his Victoria public school: ‘Around friends, we talk about and share our experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community, and I feel truly happy and comfortable’. Rickie (Bisexual Non-Binary/All Gender Person, 14yrs) felt euphoria with a Year Nine friend in a SA public school: ‘I have felt this way when my best friend makes funny jokes about it and when I’m with my bisexual friend’. Rebecca (Bisexual Cis-female, 18yrs) experienced euphoria ‘as’ community connection for a friend in Year Twelve in her NSW public school:

When I was able to help one of my friends come to terms with her sexuality by allowing her a safe space to talk about her attraction to women. I felt really happy that I was able to provide that for her.

Other LGBTQ+ community connections typically occurred across schools more broadly. For example, Ian (Gay Trans-male, 46–55yrs) felt euphoria when: ‘A group of queer parents do a talk each year about Mardi Gras which is a time our families are celebrated in schools’. Alana (Questioning Cis-female, 17yrs) said of her Eleventh Year cohort at a Victorian public school: ‘I feel happy about my sexuality at school all of the time because there is such a big group of people who are queer in my year level’. The Community Connection euphoria evident in the ‘people’ theme was the most central and dominant euphoria in the study. It overlapped with the most euphorias in Leximancer’s map and participants’ comments (particularly Institutional Inclusion euphoria and Acceptance euphoria, seen in map overlaps with the ‘school’ and ‘friends’ themes).

‘School’: Institutional Inclusion Euphoria

‘School’ (544 hits, 100% relationality) constituted LGBTQ+ people’s feelings of affirmation and comfort from institutional efforts at direct structural supports and celebratory inclusion (sub-concepts: people, felt, community, comfortable, happy, LGBTQ, group, time, queer, sexuality, safe, talk, able, friend, having). It emphasised that euphoria could be supported through LGBTQ+ clubs, celebratory days, and structures like open uniform codes. For some participants, supplying direct leadership or contributions to supports was important; principal Annabella (Lesbian Cis-female, 46–55yrs) felt euphoria helping ‘my staff recognise Mardi Gras’. Brighton (Gay Non-Binary Person, 16yrs) felt euphoria ‘organising and celebrating Wear it Purple DayFootnote 1 at my school and seeing students of all identities come together in support’. For Anastacie (Bisexual Non-Binary Person, 14yrs) ‘the first most euphoric time was during a Wear it Purple Day panel hosted by a group of selected members from our true colours club, which I was a part of’.

For some participants, others’ roles in such supports were the emotionally moving component. Sophie (Bisexual Cis-female, 26–35yrs), lecturing in a QLD public university, reflected:

After I was the subject of a homophobic attack on my classroom and my car, the school community came together to support me and pursue the students involved. I felt incredibly seen and accepted (when the institution) did a special pride day and allowed the students to wear rainbow colours to show support.

Annabella (Lesbian Cis-female, 46–55yrs) felt euphoric when the NSW public primary-school class she taught ‘arranged to all have Wear it Purple Day background slides on out zoom without my knowledge’. Euphorias were also sparked when past students returned to acknowledge the impacts of, ‘having out teachers at their primary-school’. Peyton (Bisexual Non-Binary Person, 17yrs) experienced euphoria around how their NSW public school ‘celebrate Wear it Purple Day and also has a (alliance)’. Institutional Inclusion and Community Connection euphorias sometimes overlapped on the Leximancer map and quotes where institutions included LGBTQ+ people by facilitating their community connections.

‘Friends’: Acceptance Euphoria

‘Friends’ (421 hits, 67% relationality) explored how social acceptance combatted loneliness or other negative feelings and contributed to individual self-acceptance (sub-concepts: friends, feel, accepted, identity). When participants in the theme described general acceptance amongst friends and staff in their school as sparking euphoria, they emphasised a one-way belonging mechanism, not the bidirectional interactions of Community Connection euphoria where group admission/sustenance was mutual. Otho (Gay Genderqueer, 14yrs) said at their Victorian public school:

I have very accepting and kind friends and I tend to voice my concerns relating LGBTQIA+ matters very often during class. It makes me happy when my teachers are accepting of this.

Garnet (Gay Non-Binary Person, 15yrs) commented that ‘A lot of my friends are also LGBTQ so it helps me feel accepted’, and Dee (Bisexual Non-Binary Person, 16yrs) said ‘I feel euphoric in my LGBT identity when I’m around my friends’ who accepted it.

Some participants described conditional acceptance experienced from some populations or behaviours, whilst showing reticence about potential (real or imagined) lack of acceptance around other populations or behaviours. For example, Kaia (Lesbian Cis-female, 14yrs) said she felt euphoria to a limited degree at her NSW religious school, by friends only:

My friends at school were very accepting when I came out to them, which makes me feel comfortable at school, but I don’t talk about it to other people because I don’t know what their views are.

Similarly, Aarya (Lesbian Cis-female, 56–65yrs) discussed acceptance limits at her religious SA school, influencing her behaviours:

I’m not my LGBTQ identity, I am me and my partner is my partner, we don’t announce who we are any differently to any mainstream couple which I feel helps in being accepted in any community.

Institutional Inclusion and Acceptance euphorias overlapped where institutions worked to become sites where acceptance occurred, or where accepting populations congregated.

‘Teachers’ and ‘Gay’: Category Validation Euphoria

Finally, overlapping themes ‘teachers’ (381 hits, 51% relationality) and ‘gay’ (91 hits, 14% relationality) showcased Category Validation euphoria wherein a sense of validation within a category was attended by feelings of relief, elation and/or humour. The ‘teachers’ theme emphasised validations from teachers’ gender-inclusive pedagogies (sub-concepts: teachers, pronouns, name, gender, class, supportive, use, started). Sometimes one teacher’s support inspired euphoria: Courtney (Gay Genderfluid, 14yrs) said at their QLD public school ‘In my English class my teacher is really supportive and used my correct name and pronouns’. Derwin (Bisexual Trans-male, 15yrs) felt euphoria at their Victorian religious school ‘When I first told my year 9 English teacher I was trans and she started using my correct name in class’. Chas (Bisexual Trans-male, 15yrs) recalled euphoria at his QLD public school:

I told my drama teacher I was trans over email and the next lesson she immediately started referring to me as my chosen name and was super supportive. It felt amazing to be addressed by someone of authority as who I believe I am.

For others multiple teachers contributed. Sal (Asexual Trans-male, 15yrs) said ‘The first few times my teachers started using my correct name and pronouns in class made me feel very euphoric’, and Percy (Omnisexual Non-Binary Person, 16yrs) said euphoria arose when ‘my teachers started using my new name and correct pronouns’, at NSW public schools.

The theme ‘gay’ emphasised positive feelings around how individuals were supported as members of their sexual identity category within schools (sub-concepts: gay, openly, asked). For example, Waldemar (Gay Cis-male, 16yrs) felt euphoria when ‘I recently won the election process for school captain and am now our [religious school’s] first openly gay school captain’. Other comments emphasised the role of peers in enhancing and encouraging self-support. Catalina (Bisexual Cis-female, 15yrs) felt euphoria tied to support after a forced outing at her QLD public school; ‘Another student asked me if I was gay again, I said no. Then another student who thinks I am gay said ‘bull-shit’’. Noting the potential for violence, bullying, loss or autonomy, the example showed euphorias are complex and may reflect relief that negative outcomes have not eventuated. Lillie (Bisexual Cis-female, 15yrs) experienced euphoria at her QLD public school when a friend questioned, ‘why is there a slur for gay people and said it’s stupid’. Zora’s (Queer Non-Binary Person, 16yrs) euphorias were incited at a QLD public school around ‘teachers openly saying they are in support of LGBTQ+ rights and punishing students for saying gay slurs’. Poppy (Bisexual Cis-female, 15yrs) felt euphoria at a non-religious independent school:

When I saw my teacher with a rainbow flag sticker on his laptop and I asked him about it, he told me he was gay. It was so exciting to have an openly gay POC teacher, it made me feel included and safe.

Accordingly, Category Validation euphoria responded to LGBTQ+ categories being validated by one’s self, or by or for others.

Existence of Changes in LGBTQ+ People’s Education-based Euphorias

LGBTQ+ participants experiencing education-based euphorias were asked ‘Has your sense of euphoria (happiness or comfort) with your LGBTQ+ identity changed over time?’. They could select Yes, No, or Unsure. Over three in five reported (yes) their euphoria had changed (Fig. 3.9). Around a fifth of them said no. Under a fifth of them were unsure. LGBTQ+ staff, followed by students, were most likely to report that their euphorias changed over time, considerably above parents. A chi-square test of independence showed the relationship between education role and euphoria change was significant, χ2 (4, (N=868) = 72.11, p < 0.001).

Fig. 3.9
A pie chart labeled as L G B T Q plus people in education depicts values in percentages. Yes had change in euphoric experiences about L G B T Q plus identity in school, 63 percent. No, 20 percent. Unsure, percent.

LGBTQ+ people’s euphoric change

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Change-trends for LGBTQ+ People’s Education-based Euphorias

LGBTQ+ people were asked to describe how their sense of euphoria (comfort or happiness) about their LGBTQ+ identity changed over time. In total, there were 532 write-in responses. Leximancer showed five themes across them: people, feel, school, year, and parents (Fig. 3.10).

Fig. 3.10
A network diagram depicts people, year, feel, school, and parents interconnected with each other via friends, queer, homophobic, teachers and many others within color gradient circles. Below it is a colored horizontal bar graph along with headings, themes, and hits. Some of the listed themes and hits are people, feel, school and 613, 561, and 372, respectively.

Leximancer map for LGBTQ+ people’s euphoric change descriptions (N=532)

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‘People’: Community Connection Euphorias Expand with Socialisation

The largest Leximancer-identified theme for how LGBTQ+ people’s euphoria changed was ‘people’ (613 hits, 61% relationality). It captured LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias—especially Community Connection euphoria and its associated comfort—expanded with greater socialisation with LGBTQ+ communities over time (sub-concepts: people, comfortable, identity, time, sexuality, become, started, queer, others, able, changed, LGBTQ, someone). Typically, Juliet (Bisexual Cis-female, 26–35yrs) noticed: ‘I have found the LGBTQ+ community and started doing drag, plus social attitudes have changed, so I have become much more comfortable’. Quinton (Queer Non-Binary Person, 17yrs) similarly said Community Connection and Category Validation euphoria increased with like-minded contacts:

Over time I have become more comfortable with both my identity and have found labels that fit me as well as others who share similar identities as me which makes me feel euphoric as I feel validated by both knowing my identity and being able to share it.

Palmer (Lesbian Cis-female, 46–55yrs) also said Community Connection and Acceptance euphorias expanded with her outness:

The acceptance of my identity by those I respect and care about has increased my comfort level, pride in my identity and being able to share that part of my life with others means I’m not working to hide or obscure it.

Leximancer also allocated the introductory quote used for this chapter to this theme, wherein Giovanni (Bisexual Non-Binary Person, 16yrs) reflected on how their comfort from community contact supported Community Connection, Institutional Inclusion and Acceptance euphorias; activisms; and reduced anxiety. Linds (Demisexual Non-Binary Person, 16yrs) discussed the complex nature of increasing LGBTQ+ community—it increased Community Connection euphoria over time; but also dysphoric jealousies around gender affirmation goals; ‘As time has gone on, I’ve started feeling more and more envious of those presenting masculine so that too may become a part of my LGBTQ+ identity in the future’. Co-expansions of Community Connection and Acceptance euphorias are seen in some comments, and Leximancer map overlaps for ‘people’ and ‘feel’.

‘Feel’: Acceptance Euphorias Build Gradually

‘Feel’ (561 hits, 100% relationality) captured LGBTQ+ people’s gradual growth of external (Social-) and internal (Self-)Acceptance euphorias, and sometimes their mutual interrelation (sub-concepts: feel, friends, gender, euphoria, happy, accepting, used, coming, sense, family, different, proud). Lillian (Asexual Cis-female, 14yrs) said of her (Self-)Acceptance euphoria:

Each time I come to understand myself more, I feel that sense of euphoria and security. When I learned about asexuality, I was no longer waiting to ‘catch up’ as if I was some immature outsider among friends and family.

Landry (Bisexual Genderfluid, 17yrs) felt (Self-)Acceptance euphorias increase given social examples and self-possession:

I was a part of a community that I knew I would be accepted in … More recently, I have been able to feel euphoric about my identity on an individual level too … There are still instances where I feel ashamed or ‘wrong’, but over time I started feeling stronger to handle those feelings without the presence of other queer people.

Some participants required social acceptance before developing internal (Self-)Acceptance euphoria. Angela (Lesbian Cis-female, 36–45yrs) explained:

As a single parent I felt I needed to hide my gender identity depending on context, e.g. heteronormative pre-school/childcare centres (…) Now as a married parent I feel more supported and prouder of my gender identity.

Conversely, some required internal acceptance before seeking social acceptance towards (Social-)Acceptance euphoria. Kane (Bisexual Non-Binary Person, 14yrs) explained:

I use a different name that is less feminine and is gender neutral. I asked some of my teachers that I felt comfortable with to use that name, and I think one of the first times that I felt euphoric was when they used that name during roll.

For some participants both Acceptance euphorias built gradually in unison. Vera (Pansexual Cis-female, 16yrs) reflected:

I began going to Pride club as an ally, listening to others speak I realised it wasn’t something to be ashamed of, instead something to be proud of—the strength I have to feel comfortable in a world which tells me not to be. Now I have a sense of euphoria whenever I go.

Relationships between Community Connection, Acceptance, and Institutional Inclusion euphorias expansions were typical in comments, and overlaps in ‘people’, ‘feel’, and ‘school’ themes.

‘School’: Institutional Inclusion Euphorias Are Site-Specific

‘School’ (372 hits, 71% relationality) expressed how LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of Institutional Inclusion euphoria changed depending on their specific institutions over time (sub-concepts: school, community, students, gay, teachers, support, lesbian). Many participants experienced Institutional Inclusion euphoria at some sites and not others; changes mainly involved participants choosing to move from worse to more inclusive contexts. For example, Larry (Gay Cis-male, 46–55yrs) had Institutional Inclusion euphoria now in a structurally supportive public school; but had previously experienced prohibitive contexts:

When I resigned from my religious school and then publicly came out, my principal said that had I not resigned the school board would have requested the principal to dismiss me.

Likewise, Joyce (Bisexual Genderqueer, 16yrs) said:

I was terrified to talk about being a part of the lgbtq+ community because both teachers and students were horrible about it. So once I moved schools, I slowly learnt that who I was is okay and that I’m not invalid.

Roscoe (Gay Cis-male, 36–45yrs) said he moved to a new school to teach where he saw more inclusion after receiving mentoring from queer education professionals:

Through their mentoring I discovered that I could be more myself at work and in turn students started seeing me as a GLBTQI mentor for them. Over my time as a public school teacher I became more involved with the GLBTQI members of NSW teachers Federation to support members.

Wardell (Bisexual Trans Masc., 16yrs) moved from a school without supports to a more inclusive school for his wellbeing:

When I moved school, I felt so much more happy and free to be myself. People there are respectful and kind, the school also has good support systems in place for LGBTQIA+ students.

Relationships between site-specific Institutional Inclusion euphoria and contexts enhancing several euphorias were evident in many comments, and proximities of ‘school’ to other Leximancer map themes.

‘Year’: Sudden Shifts in Category Validation Euphorias

‘Year’ (256 hits, 23% relationality) showcased those LGBTQ+ people suddenly exposed to new categories or new ways of thinking, opening-up or shutting-down validation of categories (sub-concepts: year, homophobic, realised, straight, bisexual, hide, uncomfortable). This created sudden shifts in Category Validation euphoria across the years. For many including Armani (Bisexual Cis-female, 14yrs), Category Validation and Acceptance euphorias expanded simultaneously:

I had to hide a big part of me in fear of being judged, discriminated against, hate-crimed, losing friends, etc. When I came out to my friends, I wasn’t so conflicted in my mind and I became a lot happier, although I always worry about being outed.

Debo’s (Bisexual Non-Binary Person, 16yrs) pre-existing Category Validation and (Self-)Acceptance euphorias dropped off in a new school and then re-built:

High-school was a shock. I walked in being openly bisexual and immediately had slurs and homophobic phrases said to me. It made me uncomfortable and scared to be who I was. As the years have gone on I’ve slowly gotten better at blocking out the negative and focusing on the fact I am me and nothing can change that.

Rachel (Bisexual Cis-female, 17yrs) typified a portion of younger students whose Category Validation euphorias fluctuated depending on group-specific endorsements:

A few years into high-school I realised how normal it was to not be straight and cisgender and realised I was bisexual and I came out about a month after to a few friends after realising and I was pretty happy. I was scared and still am about my parents or family knowing (…) it made me a lot more conscious, uncomfortable, and worried at home.

Theodora (Asexual Cis-female, 14yrs) had experienced a few sudden shifts in her sexuality categories and so had related euphorias’ alternate increases and decreases: ‘I only realised I was asexual recently and am still questioning my romantic orientation. Earlier this year I thought I was completely straight and allosexual’. Bee (Bisexual Demi-Girl, 14yrs) underwent the multiple sudden shifts around categories and attendant Category Validation euphorias experienced by many questioning students sorting through several identities across a year:

at first I thought I was just a straight asexual, then I thought I was bi, but I was doubting myself telling myself that I’m just a straight girl looking for attention, and then I thought no wait I actually am bisexual, and then realised I’m not exactly comfortable identifying as a girl, and I have got more comfortable with who I am.

Socio-cultural contexts strongly influenced the categories participants—especially youth—were exposed to and their openness to category ‘fit’. Context-specific enablers or blockages to Institutional Inclusion, Acceptance and Category Validation euphorias could overlap.

‘Parents’: Euphoria-Blockers Added or Removed

‘Parents’ (40 hits, 13% relationality) was a stand-alone theme illustrating periodic additions or removals of real-word and spectral parent euphoria blockers. Real parents’ disapprovals or imagined disapprovals from one’s own parents or parents broadly, blocked euphorias sporadically or in site-specific ways. Spectral parents stand-in for concerns over client markets in neo-liberal schools; or conservative family values in conservative schools, functioning to limit care-free, comfortable diversity expressions as a cultural bogeyman. Pre-marriage equality, Cedric (Gay Cis-male, 36–45yrs) recalled Institutional Inclusion and Acceptance euphorias were limited by spectral/imagined ‘parent backlash’:

Previously I was only ‘out’ to the staff. Since the marriage equality issue, I told the Principal that if any students asked my opinion or my own identity, I will be honest and ‘come out’ to them. My principal said [If needed the school] would handle any backlash from parents or students. Since then, I have felt more confident.

Andrea (Lesbian Cis-female, 46–55yrs) also experienced earlier difficulties with other families at her child’s school, but marriage equality combatted actual ‘parent backlash’:

To my relief this has been well supported and often other parents have apologised for the discomfort their assumptions cause. We are now settled into the school community, with soccer, play dates, birthday parties and parent catch ups. I’m not so anxious.

Specific parents were past and present euphoria blockers. Wally’s (Straight Trans-male, 17yrs) faded around his parents: ‘My parents don’t know about the binder nor the pronouns because they are still unsupportive but the fact that I don’t have to pretend now [in] parts of my life is great’. Gracelyn (Lesbian Cis-female, 36–45yrs) said that parents had caused difficulty for her lesbian-reared children: ‘another child would say something about her parents’ [comments] in a negative way’. Parents could both block and enhance Acceptance euphoria in educational communities with the force of their influence, as Adalynn (Lesbian Cis-female, 36–45yrs) experienced: ‘Staff and parents have got to know us over the years and I think their acceptance has made me accept myself more’. Parents were the prominent euphoria blocker for LGBTQ+ people overall. Role-specific blockers are examined in upcoming chapters.

Discussion

Dominant LGBTQ+ Education-based Euphorias

For the two fifths of LGBTQ+ people in education experiencing euphorias, (1) Community Connection, (2) Institutional Inclusion, (3) Acceptance, and (4) Category Validation euphorias dominated. These were inter-connected and inter-conducive, and largely incited by positive (re)actions or schools’ Ahmedian ‘moving towards’ LGBTQ+ people [33]; countering past ‘moving away’. These euphorias echoed research emphasising group memberships for LGBTQ+ people’s wellbeing [34,35,36], and showed Erikson’s [37, 38] Stage 5 identity formation and Stage 6 intimacy motivations’ influence (Fig. 3.11). Microsystems had core roles in emotional development, as Bronfenbrenner predicted [39]. Schools could inspire euphorias, (re)organising emotions [17, 40] using Schutz & Pekrun’s object-focussed group identification processes [17, 41] via purple or rainbow object/icon-centred celebratory events. This institutionalised Gottman et al.’s (meta-)emotion-coaching and movement towards LGBTQ+ identities and bodies; aligning with Ahmedian [33, 42] and Butlerian [43] goals for exposing erasures of LGBTQ+ unhappiness in happiness economies; subverting these economies through collective euphorically queer expression and euphorically queer collectives. These euphorias supported Butlerian ‘transference’ of happiness and acceptance onto non-traditional bodies [44], re-ordering institutional acceptability hierarchies, and expanding euphorias’ connections to social redress [21]. Such euphoric phenomena were less likely in religious and rural schools, reflecting greater anti-LGBTQ+ policy restraints in religious school Exosystems and Microsystems [29, 45], and higher concealment of LGBTQ+ status in rural Microsystems [12, 13]. Notably, (Social-)Acceptance euphoria was sometimes obtained for subdued expression, down-played or conforming/marital relationships, and activism disdain; reflecting happiness economies’ conformity drives [42].

Fig. 3.11
An illustration of a cylindrical structure with five layers of concentric circles at the top. In concentric circles, each layer is labeled as the L G B T Q plus individual, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. The cylindrical structure at the bottom has the following text, changing education contexts and slash or roles over time, shifting cultures and ideological trends.

Ecological model of psycho-social influences on LGBTQ+ individuals’ education-based euphorias

Full size image

Typical Change-trends

Different euphorias had distinct change-trends: Community Connection euphorias expanded with socialisation; Acceptance euphorias built gradually; Institutional Inclusion euphorias were site-specific; Category Validation euphorias had sudden shifts. LGBTQ+ people’s euphorias can be subject to ‘parent’ blockers arising across their Microsystems, Exosystems and Macrosystems intermittently (across the Chronosystem). Given most Australian parents support gender and sexuality diversity education [5], parent blockers were sometimes false spectral assumptions of parents’ dismissive or disapproving meta-emotions echoing Macrosystem Murdoch-media constructions [5, 6, 46]; and Exosystem (anti-LGBTQ+) parents’ rights bills [e.g. 7, 8]. Euphoria blockers are long-term or situational inspired movement: site shifts (moving schools) or activism shifting sites. This reflected relationships between euphoria and possibilities of material change in socio-cultural contexts in TGD studies [20, 47], and Ahmed’s ‘productive unhappiness’ [42].

Significance & Limitations

The study provided the largest euphoria data collection to date for the broadest range of LGBTQ+ identities and age groups, and the first education euphorias taxonomy. It showed methods supporting LGBTQ+ community connections and institutional inclusion encouraged in other studies, enhance euphorias’ likelihoods: hosting gay-straight-alliance/pride groups; using celebratory events and symbology; providing affirming diverse identity category information; and supporting structural inclusion from policies to names/pronoun use [36, 48, 49]. Additionally, promoting the data on parents’ support for gender and sexuality diversity in schools [5] may reduce fallacious spectral ‘parent’ (Micro-, Exo-, and Macro-) system-level euphoria blockers. Findings reflected euphorias’ relations to external, internal, and social experiences; and negative wellbeing [20, 42]. Higher volumes of youth responses reflected higher youth engagements in online surveys generally; upcoming chapters explore age-based nuances. Limitations included the study’s lack of direct questioning about dysphoria; euphorias’ relationships to dysphoria may be under-represented. The study lacked cisgender heterosexual and non-education institutional comparisons, and statistically atypical CALD and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQ+ euphorias may have nuances undetectable in ‘typicality’-driven, institution-centred surveys.

Conclusions

People in education were sometimes euphoric and queer, even euphorically queer. LGBTQ+ people’s unhappiness is therefore not inherent; but shaped, and potentially shifted, by their surrounding systems. Education providers, leadership and staff seeking non-deficit-based LGBTQ+ models, can foster Community Connection and Institutional Inclusion euphorias for LGBTQ+ people—conducive to other euphorias. Their pre-conditions and change catalysts include: expanding opportunities for LGBTQ+ community connections (events, speakers, groups); adapting institutional structures, training, resources and processes to foreground inclusion; increasing safety; and increasing visibility of LGBTQ+ acceptance (rainbow symbols, celebratory days). Activists could usefully promote parents’ support for diversity education [5], rural LGBTQ+ euphorias’ visibility [14], and rescinding religious school anti-discrimination exemptions. Further research could explore whether LGBTQ+ people experience comparable euphorias in international education or other institutions; and nuances for cisgender heterosexuals (via comparative studies) or intersectional communities (via interviews/focus groups). Upcoming chapters examine nuances for LGBTQ+ youth, professionals, and parents’ euphorias.