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Mary Anne McCallum and I'm from the University of Auckland and my paper was based on the research I did for my master's thesis. And I looked at the schooling experiences of young lesbian and bisexual women in New Zealand and New Zealand secondary schools, and the results from the data showed that these young women felt that they were really disadvantaged in several areas in their schooling. Uh, the the treatment by [00:00:30] their peers, the treatment by the the school in general uh, the lack of health promotion in the school uh, the But what I talked about today was the sexuality education programmes in schools and how they don't really, uh, embrace inclusivity even though it's in the New Zealand curriculum. Um, inclusivity and diversity are not regarded that they're overlooked in many cases and in particular [00:01:00] in the sexual sexuality education programmes. And this of course, puts those young women at a disadvantage. And some of those disadvantages include, uh, the way health teachers, PE teachers, whoever teach sexuality, it teach sex education. So it's based more on the physical aspect. So the aspects of who you are as a person, your identity, your orientation, how you behave sexually. Uh, it's glossed over [00:01:30] and it's glossed over because a lot of teachers are frightened. Uh, one example that I I gave in my talk was two of my participants actually asked me for answers to some of the questions one of the teachers had told them. So they were two separate participants in two different parts of New Zealand. They both had the experience where the health teacher had told them that if they did not save themselves for marriage, they could catch AIDS so [00:02:00] that that was horrifying. And how recent was this? This was in this century. This was in. I did my fieldwork in 2007, and as I said, in two different, wildly different locations, one was a state coed, very large high school. The other one was a small coed, uh, religious institution. And but both the teachers were male. Not that I'm saying that had anything [00:02:30] to do with it, but it it it It spoke volumes about the teacher's own beliefs and attitudes and knowledge. And here they are teaching sexuality education. How easy is it to do research in that age group? Uh, if if I could just get to the students. It would be just easy because the kids want to come and talk. They they need to talk because it's an opportunity for them to vent. But we have difficulties [00:03:00] in accessing my current research. Looking at, uh, young by women in New Zealand secondary schools, Uh, I've sent out 30 packs of information to secondary schools, and that was actually four weeks ago. I've had one. Yes, I've had three definite nos. And two of those schools have got a very high, um, diverse population and the students and in the staff. But it was a flat. No, it was an absolute denial. And so that means [00:03:30] I've got 26 big, gaping voids where schools have probably put my, uh, material in the bin. They haven't even replied. So when schools deny access, is that through because of the general teaching population, or does it have to be ok through like a A board or a principal? Generally it's got, and this is part of the ethics, uh, process. It has to go through the school principal who is the representative of the board of trustees. [00:04:00] So if the principal looks at it, and and says no. Then my hands are tied. I, I cannot really go any further. In my master's research, there were a couple of schools where the principals went to the guidance counsellors and said, Hey, look, uh, what can we do about this? And the councillors arranged. Everything was fantastic. Uh, but that was because the principals had a lot of time for the Coors, and they also had a lot of time for their student [00:04:30] communities, and they recognised the diversity. Uh, in most cases, school principals will use the excuse that no, we're not allowing research of any kind. And then I know that's not true, because I know of colleagues who are actually working in those schools doing research. So I think it's that it's that word that that puts them off. It's that sexuality thing. We can't have that in our schools. We don't have people like that in our schools, and I have actually had that response from a principal. [00:05:00] We don't have people like that in our schools, so it's really it's saddening and it's sickening because it to me, it it, um, it it suggests a huge lack of understanding and a lack of, of even interest in understanding that there to process these little knowledge units instead of looking at them as whole people. There was some comments from the floor about the use of the word bisexual instead of the US using words like [00:05:30] queer, and you made a comment about kind of ethics approval for using something like bisexual, as opposed to queer. Can you talk about that? The choice of the word by comes partly because that's how I identify, but also because queer theory, uh, and the use of the word queer for a start. Um, look at the way the term gay has evolved over the years and and where we're at now, Um, many people who [00:06:00] I know who are lesbian, bisexual call themselves gay, and that's cool. Um, queer. There's the dare, I say General populace interpretation. But then there's queer theory, and I'm going to be using queer theory in a way to decentralise a lot of the beliefs that are out there in schools. But I chose bisexuality because I believe it is a term that is usable. I know young women use that term [00:06:30] to describe themselves. Um, and I know, too, that the boundaries to bisexuality are as flexible as as those big elastic things that little girls use for jumping games. And I think I described it as a, um, a cardboard box. And if it rains, then it melts. And so there's no boundaries, so you can be by, but it can mean a huge range. It's not a restrictive term. Somebody asked me if they had a a trans person who, uh, identified [00:07:00] as Bi. Would they be eligible? And I said, Heck, yeah, yeah, I welcome anyone who identifies as female, So yeah, so by as opposed to queer uh, more, more definitive And for the for the purpose of my study, it's more definitive and more usable. So what do you think, the research or what do you think the results of the research will be used for to to get me a PhD? No, [00:07:30] that well, that's obviously that's part of the reason, because I want to work in places that I can't work currently because I don't have one, but that work. I want to be in the area of of civil rights of of human rights, and I think, uh, to look into it myself to to build up my own knowledge bank is gonna help me enable other people to either to share the knowledge or or the skills, um, to [00:08:00] help make things better for diverse sexualities. That's that underlies pretty much what I do as you were saying. I mean, there's a huge gap in In in the literature for for bisexual women in this country. Yes, bisexual women in the world. Basically, uh, older women, adult women there there is, uh, there's some wonderful people. There's Robin. I think that's how you say her name. Uh, in America, there's the the, um by any other name book that's that's been around for a long time. [00:08:30] There's, uh, Mary, um uh, Paula Rodriguez. Russ, uh, Kirsten McLean in Australia, But in New Zealand there there really isn't. And there there's no, uh, literature, no academic literature in New Zealand that just looks at bisexual young, bisexual women. It's usually lumped in with young lesbian women and really, the the needs I see, uh, for the two groups are quite [00:09:00] separate. So that's partly why I'm doing it. I just want want to make a space and and it's It's our space. It's a it's a by space. So what are the specific needs for bisexual women? Well, firstly, to feel that they're not imposed, that they're not imposters. And I know, uh, and I've experienced this myself. Um, I've been accused of exercising the heterosexual privilege, and [00:09:30] that really makes me feel awful because it's like I'm using something and then that that's just so totally against who I am. Um, a lot of young women use the term as a way of hooking guys, which is a bit of a concern, but that that's that's what they do. It's part of who they are at the time and part of their journey. Uh, but II I know that there are young by [00:10:00] women out there who have issues. Um, as I said, uh, they don't know whether they're straight, whether they're gay, where they fit and it's where they fit because often the the lesbian communities within the schools the students won't accept them because they might have had a boyfriend or they might show interest in a boy. So well, you can't be part of us, so you're not lesbian. But because of the the interest in, um, same sex. When you're [00:10:30] moving in the straight world, you can't. You don't feel a part of that either, because you the straight people say, Well, what are you doing in our group? You should be with the lesbians. So really, it's it's a it's a no go zone because there's nobody brave enough to step out there and say, Well, um, I'm by, come and join me So maybe that's something that will come out of what I'm doing and for you personally attending a conference like this. [00:11:00] What does it mean to you? What do you want to get out of it? Oh, look, I, I Well, like everyone else, I've only been here for three or four hours, and this is just amazing. I never wanted it to stop those speakers. The plenaries was absolutely fantastic, but I think to to to move in, uh, physically be amongst people who are so diverse not only in their sexuality, but in who they are as people. It's I I'm on a real high. Um, it's a real adrenaline [00:11:30] buzz, and I just say power to us to all of us here, and I just hope that this that out games, the conference that it keeps on. And I'd love to know where the next one is going to be. Absolutely, well, just thinking ahead. So let's, let's say, 30 years. If somebody was listening to this in 30 years time, what would you like to say to them if you're nothing? Well, if they are listening and they are doing any research into bisexuality, I hope you read my thesis. [00:12:00] But also I. I would like to think that in 30 years time maybe we don't need to have conferences like this because we, we're we're all just going to be people out there being who we are, and it's not gonna offend anybody. Nobody's going to be prosecuted or murdered or have stones thrown at them or anything. And it will just be a big, happy family. And everybody's cool.
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