schools. This has underpinned school research into the ways in which heterosexual
identities are constructed as normal while lesbian, gay and bisexual identities are
constructed as beyond the bounds of acceptability (Mills 1999 & Rhoads 1999). In
Australia, Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli’s (1996) work stresses the importance of
understanding the intersections of sexual and ethnic identity markers. Wayne Martino
(1999) explores the policing of hegemonic masculinity in high school. James Butler
(1996) notes the connections between masculinities and sexuality as well as the apparent
absence of lesbian identities in schools. And David McInnes and Murray Couch (2001)
offer an analysis of working class sissy boys to provide a sophisticated exploration of the
intersections between social class, masculinity and sexuality. There exists, then, a
growing body of valuable work that engages with young people’s sexual identities and
locates research concerned with sexualities and schooling within the broader endeavour
of the sociology of education.
Analytical framework
Queer theory and research is tightly bound to post-structural theorisations of power,
discourse, and the subject. These theorisations have made significant contributions to
understandings of inequities and exclusions in which sexual identities/sexualities are
pivotal markers.
The analysis offered here owes much to my detailed exploration of these contributions in
Youdell (2000). It also reflects the theoretical framework offered in Youdell (in press).
This framework is underpinned by Foucault’s understanding of power, discourse and