Navigating Physical Education: LBQ Women Students’ Experiences in Philippine Colleges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69665/iss.v48i1S.148Keywords:
LBQ women students, physical education, inclusive pedagogy, gender equityAbstract
Physical Education (PE) in higher education often reinforces fixed gender roles and heteronormative practices that marginalise students with diverse sexual orientations. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of cisgender women identifying as lesbian, bisexual, or queer (LBQ) in a Philippine state university, focusing on their experiences, challenges, and proposed inclusive pathways in college PE. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analysed thematically. The students’ experiences were marked by ambivalence: enjoyment and social engagement coexisted with emotional discomfort, identity concealment, and pressure to conform to binary gender expectations. Challenges were institutional, pedagogical, and social, including rigid gender divisions, limited curricular representation, and instructor silence. Participants recommended gender-inclusive curricula, safer, more flexible physical spaces, supportive school cultures, and participatory teaching practices. These findings underscore the need to redesign PE as an inclusive and affirming environment responsive to diverse sexual identities. By situating these experiences within the Philippine higher education context, this study addresses a significant geographical and cultural gap in predominantly Western-centred LGBTQ+ sport and PE research.
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