Reconstituting the Democratic Subject: Sexuality, Schooling, and Citizenship

Abstract

ABSTRACT. In this review essay, Robert Rhoads and Shannon Calderone consider how liberalism, as a guiding principle for school practices and educational policy making, reinforces heteronormativity through a doctrine of professed neutrality that circumscribes sexual expression and subjectivity. Through an analysis of Carol Vincent's Social Justice, Education, and Identity; Cris Mayo's Disputing the Subject of Sex: Sexuality and Public School Controversies; and Susan Birden's Rethinking Sexual Identity in Education, Rhoads and Calderone argue that the form of liberalism espoused by schools operates in contradiction to any pluralistic democratic project emphasizing social justice and inclusion of the ''other.'' By highlighting the discursive contradictions and structural conditions of schools that lead to the marginalization and disenfranchisement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer students, each book proposes alternative forms of educational praxis that attempt to disrupt the liberal status quo of schools. Such praxis, Rhoads and Calderone argue, offers possibilities for new forms of democratic organization within schools that conform with a more robust and inclusive notion of citizenship.

Citizenship for Some: Heteronormativity as Cloaked Bullying

“…In order to gain distinct and meaningful visibility, a struggle against the silence of assimilation or cloaked bullying must ensue, disrupting the hegemonic structure of heteronormativity (Macintosh & Loutzenheiser, 2006;Rhoads & Calderone, 2007). This becomes crucial in the face of implementing instrumental programs for addressing sexual diversity or anti-gay bullying.…”

“…Schools, as a public space, are gravely dominated by homophobia and heteronormativity (Bedford, 2002;Rhoads & Calderone, 2007). The average gay student, for example, hears eight homophobic remarks a day from school faculty or staff (GLSEN, 2003).…”

“…This heteronormative violence, albeit "below the radar," is what we term "cloaked bullying." One indicator of the success of "cloaking" heteronormativity and, indeed, homophobia, is evidence which suggests that bullying based on race and gender is strictly regulated within schools, whereas homophobic bullying is dismissed or ignored (Rhoads & Calderone, 2007).…”

“We reaffirm our Mozambican identity in the fight against HIV and AIDS”: Examining educational perspectives on women’s ‘proper’ place in the nation of Mozambique

“…The concept of citizenship, in the sense of status as well as practice, is also central to the discussion presented in this article. While citizenship tends to be considered a neutral category and is associated with the public sphere, feminist analyses have shown it to be a gendered and sexualized concept that, in critical ways, is constitutive of individuals’ private lives, bodies, and intimate relationships (Rhoads and Calderone, 2007; Kuhar, 2014). Important in this regard is the work of Enloe (2000) and Nagel (1998), who have drawn attention to the gendered nature of nation-building endeavors.…”

Citizenship Education and the Politics of Public Participation: The Case of Same‐Sex Marriage

“…Liberal educators similarly approach same‐sex marriage as an educational rather than a political issue. Robert A. Rhoads and Shannon M. Calderone (2007) ask:…”