Research topic/aim

LGBTQIA+ students are in many ways a marginalized group in school. Research suggests that a vast majority of LGBTQIA+ students report exposure to homophobia and transphobia in school. Violence and threats related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression often result in mental health issues. Given this background, the aim of the current study is to investigate LGBTQIA+ youths’ experiences regarding mental health issues related to violations in Swedish and Danish schools.

Theoretical framework

Theories on sexuality and norms about gender and identity frame the study.

Methodological design

This comparative study draws on individual interviews with LGBTQIA+ students aged 15-18 years in Sweden and Denmark. The interviews are conducted digitally via online meetings or phone calls. During the first phase of the project, we have interviewed young people living in various demographically places across Sweden and Denmark.

Expected conclusions/findings

Our preliminary findings indicate that a majority of the interviewed LGBTQIA+ students have experienced different forms of vulnerable situations, discrimination, social exclusion, and violations, and in school, which are handled very differently by the schools. Schooling during the lower secondary school years is described as particularly hard. Yet, there are also narratives framed from positive schooling experiences. These narratives draw from experiences from upper secondary school, where the social norms among tend to be more inclusive. Furthermore, the interviewed students call for much more education on LGBTQIA+ issues, preferably integrated into the curriculum rather than being a specific thematic focus. Although there are different policies in Sweden and Denmark, so far the preliminary analyses do not indicate major differences between the Swedish and Danish schools.

Relevance to Nordic educational research

Today, there is a lack of Nordic research investigating LGBTQIA+ youth’s own experiences of mental health issues related to victimization in school. As a marginalized group, both with regard to vulnerability and minority position in school, LGBTQIA+ students’ schooling experiences are often forgotten and even ignored in research. This study will generate new knowledge about LGBTQIA+ students’ schooling experiences, student victimisation, mental health issues, discrimination processes, and how professionals may find ways to prevent these issues in Swedish and Danish schools. The results will also be important for policy makers in Sweden and Denmark, as well as professionals outside of school who meet LGBTQIA+ youth in their everyday work.