Beyond Safe Spaces: Ecological Insights from Students and Educators in Alberta Gender and Sexuality Alliances
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.7625Keywords:
gender and sexuality alliances, 2SLGBTQI+ youth, self-determination theory, socio-ecological framework, school climate, educator allyshipAbstract
Gender and sexuality alliances (GSAs) are student-led, teacher-supported clubs that promote inclusion and well-being for 2SLGBTQI+ youth in schools. This qualitative study examines how GSAs operate across ecological levels within Alberta’s current socio-political climate, drawing on interviews with students, educators, and support staff. Guided by self-determination theory and a socio-ecological framework, the findings show that GSAs can function as micro-ecologies that support autonomy, competence, and relatedness while also reflecting institutional, policy, and socio-political constraints that shape students’ experiences in uneven ways. Educators and allied professionals play critical boundary-crossing roles in sustaining GSAs and mediating tensions across student, school, and policy contexts. This study contributes a contextually grounded understanding of GSAs as complex relational spaces that support, but do not uniformly guarantee, student well-being within contested educational environments.
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