What relationships do same‐sex parents foster with school in France? Analysis of parental strategies deployed to prevent any risk of homophobia
Résumé
What relationships do same‐sex parent families foster daily at school? Do they feel as welcome as any other family? Up until now, few studies exist on this subject, not only in France but internationally. The objective of this paper is therefore to rectify this lack through exploring the relationships that lesbian‐parented and gay‐parented families foster with educational establishments. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis of the DEVHOM study reveals that these parents deploy a certain number of strategies with the aim of preventing homophobia to which they or their child could fall victim. These strategies are based on: (1) a well‐considered choice of school; (2) controlled strategies of exposure; and (3) active participation in school life. Certain moments in school life are critical when it comes to dealing with parents and teaching staff (the election of parent representatives, administrative registration, “mother's day, father's day”). All the strategies put in place by same‐sex parents seem to prove effective as these parents feel little discrimination and consider that their children foster a positive relationship with their school.