ABSTRACT
The chapter arises from a meta-analysis of four separate qualitative studies I conducted in Ireland between 2010 and 2019. A total of 43 LGBTQI+ teachers’ voices are captured, providing a rich picture of their everyday lives and concerns across a period of rapid change in the politics of gender and sexuality in Ireland. Three key meta-themes are presented: ‘heteronormative politics of visibility and legitimacy’; ‘childhood innocence, age-appropriateness and student/teacher boundaries’; and ‘religious structures and identifications’. Building on these meta-themes, I argue for close attention to the fine-grained texture of LGBTQI+ teachers’ lives as a starting point for grappling with the complex workings of gender and sexuality at school, and I raise pertinent questions for teacher education and the teaching profession.
