The stories of adoptive gay parents about acceptance and discrimination in the pre-school of their child or children

M.Ed.Gay adoption in South Africa is a most recent equal right bestowed on the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community. To date little research has been done in South Africa and globally on this phenomenon, and even less in relation to the schools children from gay headed families attend. The purpose of the inquiry was to explore the stories of adoptive gay parents about acceptance and discrimination in the pre-school of their child or children. The inquiry draws on Queer Theory which is a Critical Theory and literature on GLBT Family studies to understand the life-worlds of gay parents in relation to the educational environments of their children. This inquiry utilises a Narrative Design with two levels of abstraction for data analysis. A pre-level of analysis involved basic qualitative content analysis that enabled me to manage the process of data analysis. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was performed as my primary mode of analysis. Documenting the complexities inherent in a heterosexual curriculum and the heterosexual managed education system versus alternative or queer families and their children provided me with an understanding of how these systems interact and influence each other. Ten Critical Discourses was identified that explained the experiences of acceptance and discrimination of GLBT parents in the pre-schools of their children. Discrimination was located in critical discourses of localised oppression, internalised homophobia, homophobia, the hegemony of religion and change. Acceptance was linked to critical discourses relating to Inclusive practices in schools, heteronormativity and homonormativity (the findings of acceptance in relation to hetero- and homonormativity were described as an inversion of discrimination). Empowerment as a critical discourse was experienced at two levels, namely parental empowerment through school involvement and empowering their children to cope within various social contexts in relation to their family of origin. In addition, a Critical Discourse of support networks indicates that parents valued the support of family, friends and networks relating to GLBT parenting and adoption