Privileging heteronormativity in Alberta’s comprehensive health and sanctioned religious curriculum: A critical discourse analysis

Abstract

Although recently the Alberta Government has made many efforts and initiatives to promote support for gender and sexual minority students in schools, ongoing disparities exist between the aspirations for safe and inclusive school environments and the hostile reality of life in schools for this population. This article summarizes the results of a critical analysis of provincial core health literacy curricula along with school-sanctioned religious curricula. The article then highlights probable reasons for the ongoing lack of education and support for gender and sexual diversity in schools and suggests possible contributors to the oppressive environment for these students in rural Southern Alberta.