Special Issue: Bisexuality in Education - Exploring the experiences, resourcing and representations of bisexual students, bisexual parents and educators in educational systems.
Dr. Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli, Guest Editor
School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University
Author of Lambda Award-winning book, “Border Sexualities, Border Families in Schools”
Even though many schools and educational systems, from elementary to tertiary, state that they endorse anti-homophobic policies, pedagogies and programs, there appears to be an absence of education about, and affirmation of, bisexuality and minimal specific attention to bi-phobia. For the purposes of this journal issue, the term bisexual is used to define students, parents and educators who are sexually attracted to males, females and gender diverse persons; and/or identify as bisexual; and/or are sexually engaging with males, females and gender diverse persons; and/or identify themselves with broader and more inclusive terms such as “sexually fluid” and “sexually flexible.”
Bisexuality appears to be falling into the gap between the binary of heterosexuality and homosexuality that informs antihomophobic policies, programs and practices in schools, such as in health education, sexuality education and student welfare programs. These absences and erasures leave bisexual students, family members and educators feeling silenced and invisibilized within school communities. Indeed, as much research into bisexuality and health has shown, these absences have been considered a major factor in bisexual young people, family members and educators in school communities experiencing worse mental, emotional, sexual and social health than their homosexual or heterosexual counterparts. Also of interest is the persistence of bisexual erasure in adult-developed resources and programs, even though there is increasing evidence of sexual identities and practices in youth subcultures that are adopting shifting discursive and societal constructs of sexuality, which are characterized by notions of fluidity, ambisexuality and a reluctance to label their sexuality according to the heterosexual/homosexual binary.
The editor is looking for international manuscripts from a range of disciplines which address these issues through theoretical discussions, personal analytical reflections and empirical research. All submissions will be given due consideration.
THE FOCUS OF SUBMITTED PAPERS MAY INCLUDE, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
• Bisexuality in elementary, secondary and tertiary educational systems
• Bisexuality in students, teachers and families within the school community
• Bisexuality in educational resources, programs, student welfare systems and pedagogical practice
• Intersections between bisexuality and other factors such as class, age, gender, ethnicity, indigeneity, rurality, religion, learning difficulties, disabilities and monosexualities
MANUSCRIPT SPECIFICATIONS:
• General style, citations and references should follow the APA Publication Manual, Sixth Edition
• 30 pages total, including references
• Times New Roman 12 pt font, double-spacing
• Page margins 1” all around
• Electronic submission only – sent to maria.pallotta-chiarolli@deakin.edu.au by October 2012
• Please contact Maria with any queries and abstracts for consideration
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries/ submissions: maria.pallotta-chiarolli@deakin.edu
This blog is no longer updated. Please instead visit Writers For Diversity for new opportunities for women/ LGBT writers and writers of color. Thank you.
