Homo- and bisexual teachers’ ways of relating to the heteronorm

• The article interprets how a group of homo- and bisexual (LGB) teachers articulate their situation in school.
• The findings suggest that the LGB teachers apply two different discursive approaches, described as the vigilant approach and the resource approach.
• The LGB teachers’ discursive approaches are directed towards the colleagues rather than the students—suggesting the crucial impact of colleagues.
• It is concluded that an explicitly articulated collegial support is a key to facilitate for LGB teachers.

Although legislation has made achievements to strengthen the rights of homosexual people in many European countries, the school setting seems to be a place where it can be hard to be open as a homosexual person. This article presents articulations of what it is to be homo- or bisexual as a teacher, based on a discourse analysis. The empirical material suggests two different discursive approaches described as vigilance and resource, suggesting different realities of these teachers. It is interpreted that it is not enough only to rely on laws and a positive mind-set of the general public. An explicit support from colleagues is suggested to be crucial to facilitate this group’s prerequisites to participate equally compared to norm conforming colleagues.