Teachers Opening the Closet Door: Narratives of Resistances and Heteronormativity Appropriations in Gay/Lesbian Teachers in Public and Private Schools in Santiago of Chile

Abstract

This research looks to analyze, using a queer and feminist epistemology, the meanings of being lesbian/gay teacher in the Chilean school system, and how their lives, bodies, sexuality and gender are affected by the heteronormative practices and dialogs in the school system. For methodological proposes, biographical interviews were used (seven teachers self-identified as homosexual ore gay, and three teachers self-identified as a lesbians) thru a qualitative methodology. Within the main findings of this research we are given an insight into the life lesbian/gay professors face in the school system and we describe the fear and silences that surround their daily lives. Also, shown in the research is how possible or impossible it is to live a visible open life as a lesbian/gay professor. Lastly, the research exposes the role many professors take, thru their pedagogical practices, to create spaces where they can resist and disrupt the heteronormative culture of the school system. These professors’ narratives open an array of questions and discussions regarding the situation how professors live in the Chilean school system and the needs and expectations they have of this system.