Abstract
Within heteronormative school cultures, children of same-sex couples grapple with the stigma attached to their parents' sexual orientation. The proposed project explores the significance and impact of childhood disclosure of a same-sex parenting structure within heteronormative schooling environments as an act of empowerment. The project lends itself to autoethnography and a specific approach within the methodology termed "collaborative witnessing." The project unfolds through a critical feminist queer theoretical lens. Through this lens my vignettes are analyzed, expanding upon seminal research that explores "heteronormativity" as an ideological mechanism for producing and enforcing power relationships, calling upon the work of Michele Foucault, to Judith Buter and Adrianne Rich for grounding heteronormative theory. This dissertation is an exemplar of the underestimated strength of family and love as much as it is an exploration of heteronormativity within schooling cultures as the daughter of lesbians. The vignettes take shape over the course of four stories; from each vignette themes emerge that examine my struggles with shame, homophobia and gendered heteronotmative schooling cultures, and evolve into spaces where I was emboldened and empowered through public pedagogy, social justice, family connection and love. The study concludes with a final chapter that extrapolates from the vignettes, practice-based recommendations for cultivating inclusive schooling cultures. While this dissertation provides recommendations, the question of what a school culture without heteronormativity looks like and how do we get there? Ultimately, the project seeks to hone the power of storytelling with an aim to open dialogue with pre-service and in-service educators and inspire culturally sustaining, transformative and inclusive practices in schools.