Date of Award

Fall 2019

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Philosophy, PhD

Program

School of Educational Studies

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Linda Perkins

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

William Perez

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Mary Poplin

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2019 Sharon W Saxton

Subject Categories

Education | Ethnic Studies | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Abstract

This dissertation examines the experiences of LGBT students attending high school in a predominantly Latino area to determine if their experiences are different in a Latino-inflected environment than those of students in a predominantly Anglo environment. Although the experiences of LGBT students are well documented in academic journals and popular press, this dissertation insinuates that those experiences are inflected by the Anglo setting in which students attend school. This study investigates the experiences using a multiple choice and open-ended survey and a personal interview with the investigator. Certain experiences appear to be common among LGBT students who attend Anglo-inflected high schools whether those students are Latino Black, Pacific Islander. The unique character of this school allows the investigator to make certain claims about culture and its impact on individuals who attend there. This phenomenological study approaches students after they have graduated from high school to see what impact their high school experiences of bullying and inclusion have had on their success in high school and higher education. This work contributes to the literature by demonstrating that the cultural atmosphere of a school and community produce differing results for the LGBT students who spend their teenage years in that environment. This study also insinuates that students in a Latino environment tend to make more mature decisions about how to deal with their interactions among their peers. Whether their experiences are influenced by personal resilience or grit, expectations of the community, religious or social norms is for other researchers to determine. I believe that the strength of the Latino family contributes to grittiness of these young people. The character traits expected by the family and the culture may also contribute to their tenacity. But the results of this research indicate that fewer instances of threats and bullying occur and that those LGBT students find other means of deflecting the damage to their ability to complete their educations and continue into adulthood relatively unscathed.

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