{"id":{"repo_id":"uwo","oai_identifier":"oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/33113"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwo/oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/33113","repository":{"repo_id":"uwo","name":"Western University","base_url":"https://uwo.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Straight allies: Combating homophobia and interrogating heteronormativity 'straight' on","abstract":"This thesis investigates the experiences of five allies and their involvement in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in secondary schools in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Drawing on both queer theoretical perspectives and Kumashiro’s (2002) framework of anti-oppressive education, I investigate what motivates or influences allies' decisions to become members of GSAs, and I explore their roles as allies in secondary schools. This inquiry portrays how allies play a critical role in facilitating social change in their schools, and how GSAs positively contribute to school communities. By investigating the experiences of allies, I wish to emphasize the importance of authorizing students' perspectives as a powerful opportunity to engage students in transforming educational policy and practice. Moreover, this process of student engagement draws attention to how educators might nurture alliances between straight-identifying and queer pupils in schooling by listening to the voices of students themselves.","abstract_html":"This thesis investigates the experiences of five allies and their involvement in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in secondary schools in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Drawing on both queer theoretical perspectives and Kumashiro’s (2002) framework of anti-oppressive education, I investigate what motivates or influences allies' decisions to become members of GSAs, and I explore their roles as allies in secondary schools. This inquiry portrays how allies play a critical role in facilitating social change in their schools, and how GSAs positively contribute to school communities. By investigating the experiences of allies, I wish to emphasize the importance of authorizing students' perspectives as a powerful opportunity to engage students in transforming educational policy and practice. Moreover, this process of student engagement draws attention to how educators might nurture alliances between straight-identifying and queer pupils in schooling by listening to the voices of students themselves.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lapointe, Alicia A"],"institution":"The University of Western Ontario","degree_name":"M Ed","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Wayne Martino"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-04-19","date_published":"2012-04-19","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:55:58Z","subjects":["Ally","Gay-Straight Alliance","Heteronormativity","Heterosexism","Homophobia","Straight Ally"],"languages":["en_ca"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/33113","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Wayne Martino"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lapointe, Alicia A"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-07-10T19:42:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-07-10T19:42:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2012-04-19"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The University of Western Ontario"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M Ed"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Ally","Gay-Straight Alliance","Heteronormativity","Heterosexism","Homophobia","Straight Ally"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_ca"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/33113"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis investigates the experiences of five allies and their involvement in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in secondary schools in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Drawing on both queer theoretical perspectives and Kumashiro’s (2002) framework of anti-oppressive education, I investigate what motivates or influences allies' decisions to become members of GSAs, and I explore their roles as allies in secondary schools. This inquiry portrays how allies play a critical role in facilitating social change in their schools, and how GSAs positively contribute to school communities. By investigating the experiences of allies, I wish to emphasize the importance of authorizing students' perspectives as a powerful opportunity to engage students in transforming educational policy and practice. Moreover, this process of student engagement draws attention to how educators might nurture alliances between straight-identifying and queer pupils in schooling by listening to the voices of students themselves."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Straight allies: Combating homophobia and interrogating heteronormativity 'straight' on"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Wayne Martino"],"dc:creator":["Lapointe, Alicia A"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-10T19:42:38Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-10T19:42:38Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2012-04-19"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis investigates the experiences of five allies and their involvement in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in secondary schools in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Drawing on both queer theoretical perspectives and Kumashiro’s (2002) framework of anti-oppressive education, I investigate what motivates or influences allies' decisions to become members of GSAs, and I explore their roles as allies in secondary schools. This inquiry portrays how allies play a critical role in facilitating social change in their schools, and how GSAs positively contribute to school communities. By investigating the experiences of allies, I wish to emphasize the importance of authorizing students' perspectives as a powerful opportunity to engage students in transforming educational policy and practice. Moreover, this process of student engagement draws attention to how educators might nurture alliances between straight-identifying and queer pupils in schooling by listening to the voices of students themselves."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/33113"],"dc:language.iso":["en_ca"],"dc:publisher":["The University of Western Ontario"],"dc:subject":["Ally","Gay-Straight Alliance","Heteronormativity","Heterosexism","Homophobia","Straight Ally"],"dc:title":["Straight allies: Combating homophobia and interrogating heteronormativity 'straight' on"],"dc:type":["thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education"],"thesis:degree_name":["M Ed"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:55:58Z"}