Queer(y)ing street-level bureaucracy: Examining the policy implementation of GEEA in Taiwan

Abstract

The objective of this article is to explore how middle school staff and teachers interpret and respond to Gender Equity Education Act (henceforth GEEA) in practice. Inspired by street-level bureaucracy theory and a body of critical pedagogy scholarship, it sets out to understand the following question: How do school staff and teachers participate in the normalization and/or reproduction of a heteronormative school environment? Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 25 secondary school staff and teachers in Taiwan. Findings of this paper point to the complexity surrounding the implementation of GEEA and school practice. It also highlights the role that teachers themselves play in creating and sustaining the conditions that allow discrimination and prejudice to flourish. The results of this research indicate the necessity for nuanced responses from school professionals working with young people.