Victimization of LGBTIQ+ students: experiences of adult individuals

Violence in the school environment constitutes a serious issue that affects the psychosocial development of learners. In particular, SOGIESC violence (violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, and sex characteristics) represents a silenced yet widespread form of gender-based violence, which may manifest verbally, physically, psychologically, or online. Individuals who experience this form of violence often face social exclusion, emotional distress, and limited opportunities for equal participation in school life. Despite existing European guidelines promoting the inclusion of LGBTIQ+ learners, the Greek institutional framework remains underdeveloped, leaving significant gaps in the prevention of and response to SOGIESC violence. This doctoral dissertation examines the occurrence, forms, and impacts of SOGIESC violence within the Greek school context, as well as the responses of the school community to such incidents. The identified research gap lies in the lack of systematic studies documenting the lived experiences of LGBTIQ+ individuals in Greek education. The contribution of the present study consists in providing original qualitative data that illuminate how SOGIESC violence is manifested, experienced, and addressed in Greek schools, highlighting the specificities of the Greek case. The objectives of the study are to examine: the awareness of difference and the process of coming out, the frequency and forms of SOGIESC violence in the school environment, the factors and rationales underlying the targeting of LGBTIQ+ individuals, the impacts of such violence, and the strategies and proposed measures for addressing SOGIESC violence in schools. The qualitative sample consisted of 20 adult LGBTIQ+ individuals. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling and snowball sampling, while data were collected through semi-structured interviews. For the analysis of the qualitative data, reflexive thematic analysis was employed, complemented by elements of content analysis, in order to identify recurring patterns of targeting, stigmatization, and protective strategies. Thematic analysis enabled an in-depth interpretation of the meanings participants attributed to their experiences, whereas content analysis supported the systematic mapping of the frequency and distribution of specific thematic references across the dataset. The findings indicate that gender expression constitutes the most frequent axis of targeting, while sexual orientation and gender identity are also associated with incidents of aggression. Forms of violence include verbal, physical, and online harassment, as well as social isolation, with multi-layered consequences for individuals’ emotional well-being, academic trajectories, and social inclusion. The absence of substantive interventions by members of the teaching staff intensified experiences of inadequate support and isolation. Overall, the present study seeks to address a significant gap in the Greek literature by systematically documenting lived experiences of SOGIESC violence in Greek education and by highlighting the need for targeted institutional interventions.