That way young people could say that they came by for the candy and not necessarily because they were interested in the project, since that might be socially risky. We set up a table in front of the booth and always had a big bowl of mini chocolate bars. So, in this study, we set up storytelling booths in high schools and invited students and teachers to enter the booth and tell a story about LGBTQ+ sexuality or gender.
We wanted to see what other stories about sexuality and gender were also circulating through the school. As researchers, we knew from our own work that there were all sorts of things about being queer or trans that were beyond bullying- like love, friendship, movies, breakups and disappointments. However, this framing of LGBTQ+ topics as about bullying has meant that LGBTQ+ related topics became tied to ideas about risk and vulnerability.
In North America, schools have gradually become more comfortable inviting conversations on LGBTQ+ related topics, as long as those conversations are about risk, harassment, or bullying.
