Queer civic education (in saxony)
JoDDiD research dossier about queer civic education
by Johanne Gröning
In this research dossier, current and specific sources and studies on queer education by Johanne Gröning are compiled, who wrote her university thesis on queer education in Saxony. (For a more in-depth examination, we also provide the complete thesis for download in the research dossier.)
Therefore, anyone looking to inform themselves about queer education, planning their own events, or working on project proposals in this area will find exactly what they need in this section of the research dossier.
Comprehensive thematic examination of queer education (available for free download).
Gröning, Johanne (2024). Queere (politische) Bildung – (Fach-)Didaktische Anregungen für eine erfolgreiche Praxis im Umgang mit sexueller und geschlechtlicher Vielfalt. Eine Erhebung zu Erfahrungen von Akteur:innen der politischen Bildung an sächsischen Schulen. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa2-954293
conceptual approach
Queer individuals are repeatedly confronted with challenges in their everyday lives as well as in educational contexts, which political education should address and take responsibility for naming. The term "queer" can be defined in various ways – from a fundamental umbrella term for all sexual and romantic orientations and gender identities to complex, heteronormativity-critical theoretical approaches in Queer Studies, there are numerous ways to engage with the concept.
Recommended Literature:
Insights into definitions and approaches to the term "queer" in various contexts are provided by the following authors:
Paul, Barbara, und Lüder Tietz (2016). Queer as …: Verhandlungen von Praxen, Wissen und Politiken. In: Dies. (Hrsg.), Queer as … - Kritische Heteronormativitätsforschung aus interdisziplinärer Perspektive, 7-24.
Hartmann, Jutta, Astrid Messerschmidt, und Christine Thon (2017). Queering Bildung. In: Dies. (Hrsg.), Queertheoretische Perspektiven auf Bildung. Pädagogische Kritik der Heteronormati-vität. Leverkusen/Opladen: Barbara Budrich, 15-28.
Klenk, Florian Cristóbal (2023). Post-Heteronormativität und Schule. Opladen/Berlin/ Toronto: Barbara Budrich.
Inclusion and Queer Education
An understanding of queer (political) education can be achieved through various approaches. Since sexual and gender diversity is recognized in the theory of inclusive political education as potential lines of exclusion, this dossier on queer political education approaches it as a thematic subcategory of inclusive political education with the goal of "access, participation, and self-determination" (cf. Besand et al. 2018, 20). You can find the research dossier on inclusive political education here. An explicit connection between queer education and the classification of queer political education is still in its early stages. Recently, Inga Nüthen and Christine Klapeer published contributions to the conceptual classification. A stated goal of queer political education is to "consistently integrate questions of identity, gender, and desire into political discourse..." (Nüthen/Klapeer 2023). It is important that exclusions are always considered from an intersectional perspective. In a nutshell: While one can focus on individual lines of exclusion in educational work, one must always keep in mind additional categories of difference. However, inclusive educational processes also face the trilemma of inclusion (according to Boger 2019), in which the simultaneous fulfillment of the demands of empowerment, normalization, and deconstruction cannot be realized.
Recommended Literature:
For access to the perspective of inclusive political education, Besand, Jugel, and Hölzel provide insights into educational processes – while Nüthen/Klapeer focus on specific aspects of queer lifestyles in political education.
Besand, Anja, und David Jugel (2015). Inklusion und politische Bildung – gemeinsam denken! In: Christoph Dönges, Wolfram Hilpert, und Bettina Zurstrassen (Hrsg.), Didaktik der inklusi-ven politischen Bildung. Bonn: Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung, 45-59. 88
Besand, Anja, Tina Hölzel, und David Jugel (2018). Inklusives politisches Lernen im Stadion. Politische Bildung mit unbekanntem Team und offenem Spielverlauf. Dresden: Adelmann.
Nüthen, Inga, und Christine M. Klapeer (2023). Zwischen LGBTI*Q-Akzeptanzförderung, He-teronormativitätskritik und Vielfaltsdiskursen. Varianten und Herausforderungen queere (poli-tischer) Bildung/sarbeit in Deutschland. In: Meike Sophia Baader, Tatjana Freytag, Karolina Kempa (Hrsg.), Politische Bildung in Transformation – Transdisziplinäre Perspektiven. Wies-baden: Springer, 237-259.
Boger, Mai-Anh (2019). Theorien der Inklusion. Die Theorie der trilemmatischen Inklusion zum Mitdenken. Münster: edition assemblage.
Situation in Saxony
In Saxony, where conservative and right-wing groups propagate anti-queer attitudes, the living conditions for LGBTQIA+ individuals are particularly critical. A study conducted by the Saxon Ministry of Justice and for Democracy, Europe, and Equality (hereafter referred to as SMJusDEG) collected data in 2021/2022 regarding the living situations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, non-binary, and queer people and their experiences in Saxony, highlighting that negative experiences in various life situations are not isolated cases (cf. Rauh et al. 2022). A significant indicator of this is negative experiences in the school context. Among other things, these and other studies particularly reveal issues related to the lack of visibility in language or curricula, structural discrimination (due to heteronormative or binary performance and assessment structures), as well as a lack of education and anti-queer attitudes from participants. It can be assumed that some of these issues are also relevant in extracurricular contexts. This raises potential follow-up questions for both school and extracurricular educational contexts regarding the handling of sexual and gender diversity for educators. How can queer lifestyles be supported, normalized, and made more visible? How can queer-sensitive education be successful? What consequences arise from this for extracurricular political education? Which places, topics, and spaces are of particular relevance?
Literature Recommendation:
The study published by SMJusDEG in 2023, which includes data from 2021/2022, provides insight into the living conditions of queer people in Saxony and simultaneously outlines a range of areas that require action.
Rauh, Christina, Elin Werner, Hendrik Thesing, und Markus Hofmann (2022). Lebenslagen von lsbtiq* Personen in Sachsen. Ergebnisse und Handlungsbedarfe. Sächsisches Staatsmi- nisterium der Justiz und für Demokratie, Europa und Gleichstellung (Hrsg.), Online verfügbar unter https://www.vielfalt.sachsen.de/download/Lebenslagen_von_Isbtiq_Personen_in_ Sachsen.pdf. Abgerufen am 20.11.2023.
Challenges and Problem Situations
The specific challenges and problem situations in educational contexts are highlighted in the following contributions – some of which can also be applied to non-formal education.
Yildiz, Miriam und Raphael Bak (2017). Sexuelle und geschlechtliche Vielfalt – k(ein) Thema in Schule und LehrerInnenausbildung? In: Sebastian Barsch, Nina Glutsch, und Mona Massumi (Hrsg.), Diversity in der LehrerInnenbildung. Internationale Dimensionen der Vielfalt in For-schung und Praxis. Münster/New York: Waxmann, 291-307.
Schmidt, Friederike, und Anne-Christin Schondelmayer (2015). Sexuelle und geschlechtliche Vielfalt – (k)ein pädagogisches Thema? Pädagogische Perspektiven und Erfahrungen mit LSBTI. In: Friederike Schmidt, Anne-Christin Schondelmeyer, und Ute B. Schröder (Hrsg.), Selbstbestimmung und Anerkennung sexueller und geschlechtlicher Vielfalt. Lebenswirklichkeiten, Forschungsergebnisse und Bildungsbausteine. Wiesbaden: Springer, 223-240.
Especially because queer political education is still in its infancy and its theoretical as well as practical potential has not yet been fully realized, explicit concepts and scientific discussions in political didactics are lacking, which leads to an inadequate integration of queer perspectives in educational contexts, unless these are explicitly designated as key topics. The starting point for queer educational work across Germany consists of living environments where heteronormative and gender-binary structures prevail, and LGBTQIA+ individuals often remain invisible and face discrimination or disadvantages. This raises the question of what role extracurricular political education can play in successfully conducting awareness-raising and educational work and supporting existing educational projects. In Saxony, there are numerous associations and organizations that provide educational and awareness-raising work around queer lifestyles while also serving as contact points for consultations, among other things. The State Working Group Queer Network Saxony, established in 2016, represents its members, specifically their interests, goals, and needs before politics, administration, and civil society at the state level. As part of a student thesis ( https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa2-954293 ), action needs for educators were developed through a qualitative, guided group interview with representatives from three Saxon associations for queer educational work in Saxon schools, which should generally be integrated into everyday school life. Some of these can also be transferred to any educational contexts. It is important to recognize that workshops and offerings from various associations can provide specific stimuli, which should subsequently be permanently adopted in educational institutions. A key term here is visibility! On the one hand, this includes linguistic visibility, especially through gendering with special characters or gender-neutral formulations, as well as incorporating queer-relevant perspectives into the respective educational work. How exactly this can look depends, of course, on the specific context of the educational work. In general, providing queer-sensitive educational work also means never behaving neutrally, but rather showing a stance in the case of queer-hostile statements and actions. This can happen not only reactively after "incidents," but also preventively through an awareness of prevailing heteronormative structures and an awareness of intersectional lines of difference. The visibility of queer lifestyles in the materials used can also mean queer-sensitive education. Being aware of one's own privileges is essential in this regard. For political education, this primarily means the possibility of creating and linking spaces, topics, and places where queer life becomes visible. This can succeed, on the one hand, by political education addressing current desiderata and incorporating existing theoretical approaches to queer education from a political didactic perspective and revising them. More studies and research activities in the contexts of politics, political didactics, and queerness would also be conceivable. Ultimately, it becomes clear that queer lifestyles are still often overlooked in both school and extracurricular contexts, and there is a lack of understanding and sensitivity. The task of naming these topics is often delegated to specifically "affected" educators. However, collective action at various levels is essential. The awareness of including all life realities of educational participants from an intersectional perspective in educational processes is the first step to enabling visibility. For extracurricular political education, this also means closing the gaps in political education alongside the already existing offerings of explicit institutions. While collaboration with the aforementioned associations can serve as an impulse, the consideration of all lifestyles must happen continuously in political educational work.
Gröning, Johanne (2024). Queere (politische) Bildung – (Fach-)Didaktische Anregungen für eine erfolgreiche Praxis im Umgang mit sexueller und geschlechtlicher Vielfalt. Eine Erhebung zu Erfahrungen von Akteur:innen der politischen Bildung an sächsischen Schulen. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa2-954293