Examining the heteropatriarchy: Canadian and American male teachers’ perspectives of sexual minority curriculum

This study was concerned with an examination of the heteropatriarchy as it was performed by six self-identified heterosexual male English teachers and two high school administrators in the United States and Canada. These educators explained their efforts regarding their own thinking about identity and curriculum and their attempts to teach a sexual minority curriculum. Queer theory provided the lens for the research when considering pedagogical approaches that addressed differing identities, in general, and sexuality, in particular. Data were produced through individual teacher interviews, classroom observations, written reflections, and school curriculum materials. Administrators were also interviewed regarding school policies and curriculum expectations. These data were collected and analyzed using phenomenological methods, ethnographic techniques, case studies, and biographic life histories between 2006 and 2012 academic years. Participants were included in the meaning making of the documentation process through collaborative interrogation of their interview transcripts. The value of this research lies in its potential to consider pedagogical methods for addressing sexual minority curriculum in the secondary education English classroom in relationship to teacher identity.