‘They trusted me, even if I’m a tom like this’: exploring sexual-professional identity communication of LGBTQ+ primary schoolteachers

Abstract

This study investigates the communication strategies employed by Thai LGBTQ+ primary school teachers to negotiate their identities. The Communication Theory of Identity was used to examine the interplay between sexual-professional identity gaps and societal expectations at school. The study involved semi-structured, in-depth interviews with ten participants. The teachers’ internal recognition process leads to compromising overlapping identities and the delineation of spaces within the school. This process has been achieved by varying communication styles, some of which are influenced by Thai cultural norms–avoiding confrontation and mis-expectation compensating–that enable the teachers to keep their teacherly positionality intact. Considering overlapping identities, one has to employ a culturally and professionally sensitive communicative strategy, which enables teachers to advance professionally, ascend the social ladder, and secure greater career prospects. These strategies contribute to the establishment of mutually beneficial relationships in the workplace by reducing the power disparity between LGBTQ+ teachers and dominant hetero-others.