Playing it up, playing it down, playing it safe: Queering teacher education

The impact of homophobia and heterosexism on the e/quality of schooling experiences for many students and teachers in Australia places a responsibility on teacher education institutions to incorporate anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexist education in their courses. This discussion, based on research undertaken in universities across New South Wales, Australia, explores pre-service teacher educators’ perceptions of the importance and relevance of including anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexist education in teacher education courses. It examines how the application or avoidance of addressing these issues is a result of their positioning in discourses of personal investment and social justice, as well as their articulation in curriculum.