ABSTRACT
Across time, sexuality has mostly sat in an uncomfortable relationship with schooling (Youdell 2004). Many contexts have been characterised by attempts to ‘hide, evade, repress, deny’ and silence sexuality (Miller and Adams 1996, p. 1). At the same time, sexuality has been discussed, investigated and pathologised within the fields of religion, medicine, science and literature (Foucault 1978) and ‘sex and sexuality are still seen as problems rather than pleasures’ (Inglis 2005, p. 32) in schooling systems. This conundrum has inspired many scholars to claim that sexuality has existed both everywhere and nowhere in schools (Epstein and Johnson 1998, p. 108). Given this tension-filled relationship with sexuality in general, it is unsurprising that the relationship between schools and LGBT-Q identification has been a tumultuous one. Following this book’s promise to provide new insight into how legal structures for same-sex relationships are being negotiated in schools, this chapter provides an overview of the shape of the relationship between LGBT-Q identification and schools, positioning Ireland alongside other contexts while outlining the unique structural features of the Irish education system.
