Abstract:
Heteronormativity is a foundational source of human oppression, resulting in heterosexism and
homophobic attitudes, thus creating a hostile climate for non-heterosexual people. Despite a
constitution that prohibits discrimination against anyone on the grounds of sexual orientation,
homophobic victimisation of learners at secondary schools still occurs. The objective of this
research project was to investigate educators’ perceptions of homophobic victimisation against
homosexual learners at private secondary schools. We adopted a phenomenological approach.
The research design was qualitative and of an exploratory, descriptive, and contextual nature. We
gathered data by means of an open-ended, structured questionnaire and, with the assistance of
an independent coder, we employed Tesch’s eight-step method of data analysis. We identified six
themes: culture of acceptance; the need for policies; understanding of homosexuality; perception
of homosexual learners; social difficulties and acts of verbal, physical, and emotional victimisation;
and the learners’ feelings. These themes were organised under three categories, namely, school
context, educators’ perceptions, and learners’ difficulties.
