Citing Discourses: Making Sense of Homophobia and Heteronormativity at Dynamic High School

In this article, I draw on poststructuralist work on "citationality" to elucidate an urban high school's student culture and intervention efforts with regard to LGBQ issues. I contend that the language, ideas and practices of LGBQ issues and awareness among students and staff "cite" or draw on broader (and often competing) discourses of normalcy, sexuality, and/or "good teaching." I discuss how the citational process makes it difficult to bring about change, as well as the possibilities for bringing about change. The significance of this article is the way it explicates the discourses used to articulate and describe LGBQ people, issues, and intervention efforts; and how these discourses may hinder efforts to create LGBQ support and awareness in schools.