警校男同志性別經驗之敘事研究

Gay Men's Gender Experiences in Police Academy

本研究探討警校男同志在學期間所經驗到校園中性別相關的文化，以及這些經驗對他們產生的影響和相對應之因應與調適。研究以女性主義觀點的敘事研究方法，招募四位正在就學或畢業三年內之警校男同志進行半結構式訪談，採「類別-內容」分析法處理資料。研究結果包含四大部分：（1）警校文化可歸類成三部分:官僚體系、傳統封閉、訓練因素；（2）警校男同志除了受其所身處警校文化影響外，也經驗到警校中的性別文化:反女權、異性戀霸權、陽剛文化；（3）在這些多元因素與壓迫相互交織下，警校男同志在校多數時間經歷來自不同對象（老師、隊部師長、同儕）的恐同與歧視；（4）前述經驗使警校男同志感受到身為校內性少數的孤單感及內化恐同所帶來的不舒適感，同時也發展出不同的因應與調適（直接回應、間接調適、尋求支持）。結論:置身於一個父權、官僚體系、結構性的文化脈絡與體制下，警校男同志確實經驗到歧視與恐同，雖然有發展出一些因應策略以利在此環境中生存下來，但還是感受到很深的孤單感。根據研究結果，本文在教育與輔導實務上，建議警校教師、隊部師長及諮商輔導中心進行性平友善校園活動之推展、相關法規與制度之修訂，並期待校方領導階層能有效帶領警校體制與系統進行相關倡議活動；此外，也建議未來研究可更聚焦多元及性少數學生在警校之處境，以促進多元性別相關議題在這些單位受到重視。

 

This study aimed to investigate gay men’s gender experiences, their ways of coping, and what strategies they arm themselves with to fight sexual prejudices at the Taiwan Police Academy. This qualitative study used narrative inquiry, based on feminist perspectives, for data analysis. Four gay men who were currently attending the Taiwan Police Academy or had graduated within three years participated in semi-structured interviews. The analysis of their stories revealed the following: (1) The cultural environment of the Taiwan Police Academy is (a) a bureaucracy that is not conducive to promoting the visibility of gender equality issues, (b) traditional closures that cannot keep up with the evolution of the times, and (c) de-gendered collective life management and training. (2) Gender-related cultures are (a) threatened men’s right and anti-feminism, (b) heterosexual hegemony of lecture arrangement, and (c) masculinity of femininity-rejection. (3) Participants reported experiencing homophobia and discrimination from faculty and peers, as well as the intersectionality of multiple oppression. Homophobia and discrimination can be divided into three categories based on the following three topics: (a) Non-heterosexual sexual orientation, (b) atypical gender expression, and (c) gender difference. The first topic of discrimination can be divided into three subcategories: implicit discrimination, personally experienced discrimination, and common ubiquitous discrimination in everyday life. Discrimination against atypical gender expression was targeted toward men who spoke more feminine. The third type of discrimination against gender differences occurs in gender stereotypes and the misogyny or objectification of women. (4) With respect to impact, there are two phenomena from the finding: (a) Feeling alone was the shared experience of the participants in the homophobic and oppressive environment. They all consistently mentioned that they had few gay friends in police academies. (b) The participants experienced different degrees of internalized homophobia; some said that an unfriendly environment made them less self-accepting because of their gay status, whereas others said they would never want to be gay again in life. Additionally, regarding coping strategies, the participants developed different strategies to deal with the discrimination, isolation, and microaggressions they encountered in schools. These strategies included three types: (1) direct responses (self-deprecating, counterattack, and education in an opportune time); (2) indirect self-regulation (pretending to be heterosexual, intentionally ignoring unfriendly comments, assuming that it can divert attention if viewed from a different respective, and choosing an identity with advantageous attributes); and (3) seeking support from friendly peers, professors, and faculty of student corps (especially Captain, Associate Captain, and Lieutenant); furthermore, some participants availed themselves for counseling and guidance resources. Surrounded by a patriarchal, bureaucratic, and heteronormative system with restrictive structures, gay men at the Taiwan Police Academy had indeed experienced real discrimination and homophobia. Although they had developed different coping strategies to survive in the environment, they still needed to protect their educational status and safety by hiding their sexual minority identity. Implications and recommendations for faculty and counselors to reduce oppression or discrimination against LGBTQIA and students studying at the Taiwan Police Academy were provided based on the findings of this study. In future studies, researchers can explore other sexual minorities in police academies, such as lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders. Suggestions for Police Academy teaching and team management can be summarized as follows: (1) School leaders take the lead in promoting gender equity education; (2) Implementing gender-related regulations and laws in traditional closures; (3) Create a gender-equal and friendly life management and training space; (4) Create a learning environment free from gender bias and discrimination. Additionally, practical advice to the Counseling Center in the police academy includes how to reduce the stigma associated with counseling and how to explicitly take a gender-friendly stance. This is the first study to investigate the educational experience of sexual minority students, especially gender experiences, at the Taiwan Police Academy. More research on sexual orientation and gender identity experiences at the Taiwan Police Academy is needed to promote an understanding of gender equity in masculine-dominant educational systems.