LGBTQ2+ inclusive communities’ transformation through the arts

The Arts bring potential benefits for students (Bowen, Greene, & Kisida, 2014), especially LGBTQ2+ ones because it can help develop creativity, empathy, and self-expression, which is enormously important to LGBTQ2+ students. For the purpose of the research, LGBTQ2+ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, queer, or questioning and intersex people who face mental and physical barriers to success in school communities. Therefore, creating LGBTQ2+ inclusive communities is paramount in order to connect these students with the schools in which they learn and give educators an insight into the LGBTQ2+ community. A qualitative data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. Two Canadian and three Vietnamese educators were recruited and participated in the study. Thematic data analysis of the transcribed interviews framed five key themes associated with LGBTQ2+ inclusive community and the Arts: i) professional experience in an LGBTQ2+ inclusive curriculum, ii) definition of a LGBTQ2+ inclusive community or classroom, iii) the powers of the arts, iv) art forms, and v) applying the arts to teaching practices. This study demonstrated how the transformational power of the arts in school communities and classroom curricula, and the uses of the arts in teaching practices, could embrace the idea of inclusiveness. The study supports the roles of the arts in social justice and the need for continuing support of LGBTQ2+ policies and practices in school communities.