ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the processes involved in the construction of the participants' professional identities and how they link with the men's conceptions of their own sexuality. It explores how same-sex sexualities are schooled in South African rural and township institutions. The gap between former model C schools and rural and township schools has been significantly increased as a result of both the new educational innovations and the lack of professionalism among some teachers in rural and township schools. The chapter also explores the repercussions for passing and its underlying cultural manifestations in everyday professional practice. Professionalism for the teachers was centered on four main performances include: the assumption of excellence in the execution of duties; the rejection of hegemonic forms of masculinity performed by their colleagues; gaining respectability among colleagues and learners; and, the separation of the private and public life.
