Abstract
M.Ed.
Gay adoption in South Africa is a most recent equal right bestowed on the Gay Lesbian
Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community. To date little research has been done in
South Africa and globally on this phenomenon, and even less in relation to the schools
children from gay headed families attend. The purpose of the inquiry was to explore the
stories of adoptive gay parents about acceptance and discrimination in the pre-school of
their child or children. The inquiry draws on Queer Theory which is a Critical Theory and
literature on GLBT Family studies to understand the life-worlds of gay parents in relation
to the educational environments of their children. This inquiry utilises a Narrative Design
with two levels of abstraction for data analysis. A pre-level of analysis involved basic
qualitative content analysis that enabled me to manage the process of data analysis. Critical
Discourse Analysis (CDA) was performed as my primary mode of analysis. Documenting
the complexities inherent in a heterosexual curriculum and the heterosexual managed
education system versus alternative or queer families and their children provided me with
an understanding of how these systems interact and influence each other. Ten Critical
Discourses was identified that explained the experiences of acceptance and discrimination
of GLBT parents in the pre-schools of their children. Discrimination was located in critical
discourses of localised oppression, internalised homophobia, homophobia, the hegemony
of religion and change. Acceptance was linked to critical discourses relating to Inclusive
practices in schools, heteronormativity and homonormativity (the findings of acceptance in
relation to hetero- and homonormativity were described as an inversion of discrimination).
Empowerment as a critical discourse was experienced at two levels, namely parental
empowerment through school involvement and empowering their children to cope within
various social contexts in relation to their family of origin. In addition, a Critical Discourse
of support networks indicates that parents valued the support of family, friends and
networks relating to GLBT parenting and adoption.