A qualitative study of Chinese male sexual minority students navigating heterosexism in Hong Kong secondary schools

Abstract

This phenomenological qualitative study is informed by integrated theories

including a social constructionist perspective on human sexuality, sexual identity

development models, heterosexism with theoretical support of minority stress model

and feminist theory. The aim was to uncover the lived experiences of 20 male sexual

minority students navigating heterosexism in secondary schools, within the socio-cultural

context of Hong Kong Chinese society.

Due to the invisibility of sexual minority adolescents in Hong Kong, purposeful

sampling was used to recruit informants who were having same-sex sexual attractions

and/or sexual behaviors/sexual identity. Over the period 2008-2011, twenty male

informants, aged 14 to 19 and currently enrolled in secondary schools, were recruited

for in-depth interviews. In terms of community labels, these informants might be

known as gay, bisexual, memBa, tongzhi, tongxinglian, and those who are still

questioning their sexual identity. Parental consents were waived for informants under

eighteen years old and alternative measures were carried out to safeguard

confidentiality and their best interests.

Qualitative data analyses via a software package NVivo yielded several

overarching themes: 1) “exploring my sexuality in school”; 2) “feeling powerless

over overt homophobia”; 3) “feeling alienated over heteronormative assumptions”; 4)

“feeling oppressed over silencing”; 5) “angry over curriculum omission”; 6)

“distressed with risk stories”; and 7) “empowered with stories of resilience”. The

results suggest that with variations in their sexual identity developmental process,

they defined and interpreted their sexualities with reference to the specific social

cultural context of Hong Kong, especially linked to the Christian value, Chinese

Confucianism and Western human rights concepts. In the process of exploring a

stigmatized sexual identity within schools, the informants generally felt powerless,

alienated, and oppressed when encountering psychological and cultural heterosexism,

manifested through overt and subtle forms by individuals and the systems within the

school context. In the process of navigating homophobia and heterosexism,

informants shared both risk and resilience stories.

The current findings will be helpful for those in the teaching and counseling

professions. These professionals can also help raise public awareness of this group of

students in order to eliminate the social stigma, prejudice, and discrimination that still

plague sexual minorities. Recommendations are made for further research, education

policy, professional training for teachers and counselors, and support services for

sexual minority students.