LGBTQ Education in Arabic-Speaking Countries and Beyond: The Appropriation of Intersectionality and Decolonial Thought

Abstract

This article sheds light on the implications of the imposition of decontextualized hegemonic narratives around gender and sexuality on Arabic-speaking countries and the appropriation of intersectionality as a tool for resistance and consciousness raising by NGO-ized educational programs, as well as the importance of combining both intersectional and decolonial approaches in relation to education in general and to gender and sexuality education in particular. To do so, we rely on analyses of public discourses around LGBTQ rights, data from our experience leading gender and sexuality educational programs through the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration for over 1,400 individuals in the Global North and the Global South, and assessments of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) trainings carried out by the majority of NGOs focusing on LGBTQ education in Arabic-speaking countries.