ABSTRACT
The previous chapter discussed LGBTQ+ parents’ perspectives on LGBTQ+ related school supports commonly advocated by guide literature and researchers. This chapter explores LGBTQ+ parents’ positive experiences in schools and their recommendations for creating welcoming school environments. The chapter opens with LGBTQ+ parents’ reflections on acceptance and inclusion. A pro-active effort was made in the Australian study and based on that this chapter emphasises opportunities to discuss positive and affirming experiences for LGBTQ+ parents due to the general negativity in research on LGBTQ+ people in education. In this chapter, parents show they value as positive experiences of, and nurture hopes for, school contexts that mainstream LGBTQ+ parents as accepted forms of family diversity; and have knowledgeable staff who are accepting and inclusive in for example their use of non-gendered language and representation of LGBTQ+ forms of family diversity amongst others. They appreciate schools as potential formal and informal sources of support during challenging political environments (same-sex marriage debate). The parents lauded the explicit mention of LGBTQ+ parented families within the school anti-bullying policy. The chapter concludes with a summary of key points highlighted by parents’ responses and then looks towards the key takeaways in the final concluding chapter for the book.
