Convenor

Emma Renold
renold@Cardiff.ac.uk

Over the last ten to fifteen years, there has been a growing interest in issues of identity, including sexual identity, within educational research. This, coupled with increasing government interest in social inclusion, has led to the development of a stronger research voice for marginalised groups, including those marginalised by their sexuality. In addition, this growing field has incorporated research beyond issues of marginalisation and exclusion, developing specific strengths and perspectives which in turn contribute to the wider research community. Research into sexualities has added important work to earlier studies in gender and identity, and has brought new theoretical perspectives and research paradigms to the field.

The aims of the SIG are:

• to bring together diverse voices from the research community, creating a forum for discussion and dissemination of research related to sexualities in the context of education;
• to create opportunities for collaboration on research projects in this field;
• to establish a point of contact with parallel groups, such as the SIG in Gay and Lesbian Studies within the American Educational Research Association, contributing to opportunities for international collaboration and partnership;
• to support the publication of research reports and discussion papers in academic journals with an interest in this field, such as Sex Education, Sexualities and Gender and Education in the UK, and the forthcoming Journal of Gay andLesbian Issues in Education in the United States;
• to organise research events, such as conferences, seminars and lectures, focusing on sexualities; and
• to provide a channel for the dissemination of research in this field to the widerresearch community.