HOLY HOMOPHOBIA: DOCTRINAL DISCIPLINING OF NON-HETEROSEXUALS IN CANADIAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS by Tonya Callaghan A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto @ Copyright by Tonya Callaghan 2012 HOLY HOMOPHOBIA: DOCTRINAL DISCIPLINING OF NON-HETEROSEXUALS IN CANADIAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS Doctor of Philosophy 2012 Tonya Callaghan Graduate Department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning University of Toronto Abstract In 2012 clashes between Catholic canonical law and Canadian common law regarding sexual minorities continue to be played out in Canadian Catholic schools. Although Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ensures same-sex equality in Canada, this study shows that some teachers in Alberta Catholic schools are fired for contravening Catholic doctrine about non-heterosexuality, while Ontario students’ requests to establish Gay/Straight Alliances are denied. This study seeks to uncover the causes and effects of the long-standing disconnect between Canadian Catholic schools and the Charter by comparing the treatment of and attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (lgbtq) teachers and students in publicly-funded Catholic school systems in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario. I employ a multi-method qualitative research framework involving: 1) semi-structured interviews with 20 participants (7 current and former teachers and 13 former students), 18 of which are re- presented as condensed narratives; 2) media accounts that illustrate the Catholic schools’ homophobic environment; and 3) two key Alberta and Ontario Catholic policy and curriculum documents. The central question driving this study is: How does power operate in Canadian Catholic schools? Is it exercised from the top down solely, or are there instances of power rising up from the bottom as well? To answer this question, I draw upon the critical theories of Gramsci (1971), Althusser (1970/2008), Foucault ii (1975/1995), and Giroux (2001) in order to explain the phenomenon of “holy homophobia” in Canadian Catholic schools. The chief finding of this study is that contradictory Catholic doctrine on the topic of non-heterosexuality is directing school policy and practice regarding the management of sexual minority groups in Alberta and Ontario Catholic schools, positioning these schools as potential hotbeds for homophobia. Hopefully, this thesis can one day serve as a resource for anti-homophobia education researchers and practitioners, school administrators, educators and students who are interested in eliminating religiously-inspired homophobia in school settings. iii Acknowledgements I have spent the last five years reading theory, learning how to design and conduct a qualitative study, and struggling through reams and reams of homophobic documents. Without suitable guides throughout this process, I doubt I ever would have made my way. Three people especially helped me tease out an understanding of how homophobia operates in some Catholic schools of Alberta and Ontario. I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Heather Sykes who showed me how to be the best scholar I could be. Thanks to Dr. Kathy Bickmore who taught me the foundations of curriculum theory and provided for me a model of scholarship to which I can only hope to aspire. Thank you to Dr. Kari Dehli whose breadth of knowledge is astounding, and who taught me about the novel ways Michel Foucault approaches the study of power. I would also like to acknowledge the dedication and expertise of my external examiner, Dr. Didi Khayatt. My gratitude is also due to the following exemplary scholars who in various ways helped me navigate the often treacherous terrain of academic study: Dr. Tara Goldstein, Dr. John Wallace, Dr. Greg O’Leary, Dr. Karleen Pendleton Jiménez, Dr. William Smale, Dr. Tatiana Gounko, Dr. André Grace, Dr. Raymond Morrow, Dr. Owen Percy, Dr. Robyn Read, Dr. Michael Tavel Clarke, Dr. Pamela McCallum, Dr. Jeanne Perreault, Dr. Louis Cabri, Frau Doktor Professor Nicole Markotić, and Frau Doktor Professor Carolin Kreber. It is unlikely this study would have been completed without the unconditional support of many friends and family. No scholar could imagine greater allies. Finally, I owe countless thanks and more to my partner, Suzette Mayr, a talented novelist with the keenest powers of observation and critical thinking I have ever come across, and without whom this study surely would not have been possible. iv Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 Synopsis of the Dissertation 3 Research Goals and Questions 9 Context of the Research Problem 13 Defining Homophobia in Educational Contexts 22 Outlining the Chapters of the Dissertation 30 Defining Two Key Terms 33 2 Conceptual Framework 36 Homophobia in Schools: A Literature Review 36 Theories and Research Traditions that Inform this Study 42 Validity Issues 49 3 Participants: Domination and Resistance 57 Defining the Population 57 Sampling 59 Ethical Issues 64 Some Demographic Details of the Participants 69 The Narrative Inquiry Method of Analysis 75 Narrative Vignettes Teachers Mark 89 Luke 91 Job 93 Naarai 95 Naomi 97 Anna 99 Alberta Students Judith 101 Jacob 103 Caleb 106 Simon 108 Mary 111 Esther 114 Ontario Students Gabriel 117 Jonas 120 v Shiloh 123 Junia 126 Abigail 128 Hannah 134 Concluding Remarks 146 4 Media Accounts: Surprising Allies in Resisting Homophobia 155 Turning to the Canadian Court System to Fight Homophobia 160 Homophobia Making Headlines 174 Concluding Remarks 186 5 Catholic Documents: Doctrinal Disciplining 196 Ontario text 200 Alberta text 224 Concluding Remarks 264 6 Theorizing the Data: The Many Modes of Power 269 Theorizing the Participants’ Experiences 275 Theorizing the Media Accounts and the Catholic Documents 298 Concluding Remarks 312 7 Conclusion 317 Participants 317 Media Accounts 320 Catholic Documents 324 Theorizing the Data 326 Further Research 329 Implications for Practice 330 References 337 Appendices 374 vi Frequent Abbreviations ACB Alberta Catholic Bishops ACSTA Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association ACBO Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (new name of the OCCB) CCCB Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops CCSSA Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta GSA Gay/Straight Alliance lgbtq lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer OCCB Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops (now replaced by ACBO) PGASO Pastoral Guidelines to Assist Students of Same-Sex Orientation vii To Leanne Iskander and other secondary school student leaders like her viii Chapter 1 Introduction Holy Homophobia: Doctrinal Disciplining of Non-Heterosexuals in Canadian Catholic Schools In March 2011, a group of students at St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario took on a significant battle for Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (lgbtq) rights by requesting permission to establish a Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) club in their school (Baluja & Hammer, 2011; Houston, 2011d). Originating in the United States, a GSA is an in-school student club whose focus is on making the school a safe space for lgbtq students and their straight allies by raising awareness about, and hopefully reducing, school-based homophobia. The students, led by a 16-year old Grade 11 student named Leanne Iskander, are vowing to continue their fight into the next school year. Judging by the lack of media stories about problems in trying to set up a GSA in Canadian secular public schools, and by the lack of formal mechanisms in place to issue a ban on GSAs in non-religious public schools, the establishment of a GSA in these schools does not seem to be an issue worth noting – as controversial as setting up an anti-racism club or a debate club – and students in this club have the right to broadcast their club meeting schedule on the school Public Address system, actively solicit other students for their club using posters and other means, meet on school property, and name their club a GSA without any concern over the use of the word “gay.” In a Canadian Catholic school such as St. Joseph Secondary School in Mississauga, however, Leanne Iskander’s and her friends’ request to establish such a club 1 2 has been rejected more than once and has caused serious consternation for not only the administrators of St. Joeseph’s, but also her school district, the Ontario bishops, and the Ontario provincial government (Collins & Kirby, 2011; Galloway, 2011; Houston, 2011d; Kostoff & Abbruscato, 2011). Iskander’s quest for her club has been reported in national media outlets including The Globe and Mail, and has even reached international news outlets such as the British Pink News and the American The Advocate who have reported on Iskander’s “controversial” (in Catholic circles) move to establish a club where she and her friends can be freely lgbtq, and use gay pride symbols like rainbows to promote their club, just like students are able to do in non-Catholic public schools (Baluja & Hammer, 2011; Garcia, 2011; Geen, 2011). This increasingly public battle between the students of St. Joseph’s school and their Catholic school administrators represents the growing disconnect between publicly- funded Canadian Catholic schools and Canadian society at large. In Canada, same-sex legal rights have been steadily advancing – in 2005 Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide (Rayside, 2008) – and Canadian