Sexual Orientation, Gender and School (SOGUS): A project to promote the well-being of LGBTIQ+ adolescents at schools in German-speaking Switzerland
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Content of this page
Profile
- Project leadership
- Christa Kappler (PHZH), Michèle Amacker
- Project team
- Monika Hofmann, Janine Lüthi, Ad J. Ott
- Organisational unit
- F-PS-LPP (Lehrberufe und Pädagogische Professionalität)
- Project phase
- Completed (1.1.2022 – 31.12.2024)
- Project type
- Research & development project
- Funding
- Stiftung Mercator
- Participating institutions
- University of Bern, IZFG; PH Bern
Description
The amount of data on the well-being of Swiss adolescents who identify outside the cisgender and heterosexual norm is meagre, to say the least. To date, only very few studies have been conducted – a fact made clear in the report “Akzeptanz sexueller und geschlechtlicher Vielfalt in pädagogischen Settings der Deutschschweiz” (acceptance of sexual and gender diversity in pedagogical settings in German-speaking Switzerland, Hofmann. Lüthi & Kappler, 2019), which was co-financed by the foundation “Stiftung Mercator Schweiz”. As a rule, sexual and gender diversity is also rarely discussed at schools. And although schools are of critical importance in offering an environment for healthy development to all, young LGBTIQ+ students often make negative experiences, and they feel unsafe and excluded.
The SOGUS project (former name Queerbeet) pursues a vision in which LGBTIQ+ young people feel comfortable in the school setting and see school as a supportive, safe environment for living and learning. To achieve this objective, the project focuses on raising awareness and spreading information on the topic. The two-part project has a duration of three years.
In the participatory research part, the project team work with LGBTIQ+ adolescents to elicit their well-being in school settings. In the first phase, interactive workshops to formulate specific questions are held in collaboration with the young people. On the basis of these questions, an online survey is developed and conducted, again with the support of the young people. The aim is a representative survey of adolescents aged 14 to 20 in German-speaking Switzerland. The young people are also involved in interpreting the survey results in the context of interactive workshops.
The findings from the participatory research part serve to define the basic structure and core content for the design of the second part of the project: participatory practice. The objective of this knowledge transfer is – on the basis of the research findings and in a collaboration with teachers, adolescents and experts – to create modules for an elective course on sexual and gender diversity that will be conducted at two pilot schools. (Electives are optional subjects that all schools offer to varying degrees; subjects include Italian, typing, writing job applications and sports.) In the modules designed for this course – which is also suitable for project weeks and other in-depth learning settings – LGBTIQ+ themes are addressed and prepared in a practical and concrete way, enabling all teachers to adopt the modules and adapt them to their classes as needed. The content of the elective course and its individual modules is designed to encourage a new culture at schools, one that welcomes LGBTIQ+ people, normalises sexual and gender diversity, and respects young LGBTIQ+ people; the overall aim is to promote the well-being of LGBTIQ+ adolescents. Two secondary schools from the cantons of Bern and Zurich are scheduled to participate.
The project leaders also create a sounding board made up of individuals with experience in dealing with sexual and gender diversity, for instance, people from associations, researchers, officials or instructors. The function of the sounding board is to offer support at key junctions of the project and to share the project findings in their networks.
Presentations
- Presentation at ECER Conference 2023 (22 August 2023): Poster “Queer-Friendly Schools?”
- Presentation at SGBF Conference 2023 (29 June 2023): Poster “Schule unterm Regenbogen”
- Presentation at “Buch am Mittag” (University of Bern, 14 February 2023): Video “Queer in der Schule”
Newsletter
- December 2024: 3rd SOGUS Newsletter (in German)
- February 2024: 2nd SOGUS Newsletter (in German)
- February 2023: 1st SOGUS Newsletter (in German)
Project outcomes
The SOGUS project resulted in specific products from the two project parts. The scientific part resulted in a detailed research report and four short reports (in German, English, French and Italian) on the experiences and well-being of queer young people in German-speaking Swiss schools (see Publications). The practical part resulted in lesson proposals that can now be used by teachers and other educational professionals to address various aspects of gender.
Publications
Ott, A. Kappler, C. & Hascher, T. (2025) Diversität unter dem Regenbogen. Subjektive Geschlechtszugehörigkeiten und die Wahrnehmung des Schulklimas von LGBTIQ+ Jugendlichen in der Deutschschweiz.
In: Klenk, F. C., Fütty, T. J., Bergold-Caldwell, D. & Akbaba, Y. (Hrsg.), Jahrbuch erziehungswissenschaftliche Geschlechterforschung 2025, Heft 21/2025 «New Gender, Old School? Geschlecht im Kontext Schule» (S. 173–187).
Ott, Ad J., Janine Lüthi, Christa Kappler, Monika Hofmann, Michèle Amacker (2024) Die Situation von LGBTQ+ Jugendlichen in Deutschschweizer Schulen
Forschungsbericht des Projektes SOGUS – Sexuelle Orientierung, Geschlecht und Schule». Universität Bern, PH Bern, PH Zürich
Ott, Ad J., Janine Lüthi, Christa Kappler, Monika Hofmann, Michèle Amacker (2024) Wie geht es LGBTQ+ Jugendlichen in Deutschschweizer Schulen?
Kurzfassung des Forschungsberichts. Projekt SOGUS – Sexuelle Orientierung, Geschlecht und Schule. Universität Bern, PH Bern, PH Zürich
Ott, Ad J., Janine Lüthi, Christa Kappler, Monika Hofmann, Michèle Amacker (2024) How are LGBTQ+ youth doing in Swiss German schools?
Summary of the research report. Project SOGUS – Sexual orientation, gender, and school. Universität Bern, PH Bern, PH Zürich
Ott, Ad J., Janine Lüthi, Christa Kappler, Monika Hofmann, Michèle Amacker (2024) Comment se portent les jeunes LGBTQ+ dans les écoles suisses alémaniques?
Résumé du rapport de recherche. Projet SOGUS – Orientation sexuelle, genre et école. Universität Bern, PH Bern, PH Zürich
Ott, Ad J., Janine Lüthi, Christa Kappler, Monika Hofmann, Michèle Amacker (2024) Come sta la gioventù LGBTQ+ nelle scuole della svizzera tedesca?
Sintesi del rapporto di ricerca. Progetto SOGUS – Orientamento sessuale, genere e scuola. Universität Bern, PH Bern, PH Zürich