Maestras y maestros frente a las sexualidades no normativas. orientaciones curriculares en diversidad sexual y de género

Abstract

In the Colombian context, pedagogical tools for training teachers in Sexual and Gender Diversity (SGD) remain limited, and this is reflected in the scarce transformation of curricula. There are barriers to the appropriation of public policy and constitutional advances regarding the recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) populations within the educational system, which generates a gap of exclusion toward non-normative sexualities and identities. In this sense, this proposal presents guidelines for a curriculum on sexual and gender diversity from a Queer Pedagogy perspective. It is based on a qualitative paradigm and a hermeneutic approach, through which the narratives of teachers about SGD are explored from their everyday experiences. The method is narrative, employing techniques such as biographical interviews with 12 teachers experienced in SGD, a survey of 224 teachers from the District Secretariat of Education (SED), and five focus groups. Among the main findings, two dynamics were identified as coexisting simultaneously: on the one hand, the silencing of sexual and gender diversity; and on the other, transformative practices inspired by the Queer approach that teachers incorporate into their pedagogical projects. Likewise, emotions were found to play a fundamental role in recognizing barriers and the lack of knowledge regarding SGD. It is not merely a matter of accessing information, since teachers’ narratives reveal that behind apparent neutrality or lack of knowledge lies an emotional background that generates fear or indifference in a significant sector of the teaching profession. Thus, the need arises to address the emotions and personal beliefs that hinder progress toward the inclusion of sexual and gender diversity. Narrative construction is proposed as a powerful tool that allows for deeper engagement with teachers’ biographies and helps transcend a training model that has not considered what teachers feel, believe, and think about SGD. Furthermore, the research revealed progress in the transformation of sexual and gender diversity in district educational institutions, led by teachers inspired by Queer practices and the human rights approach. Their experiences represent a potential driving force for mobilizing a paradigm shift among their colleagues. However, support, dissemination, and guidance are required to ensure that the curricular orientations generated by this study are embraced and incorporated into the construction of curricula that recognize sexual and gender diversity.