Learning to live together: A multi-level analysis of UNESCO’s comprehensive sexuality education and LGBT inclusiveness in Hong Kong

In recent years, there have been numerous global agendas on the LGBT community, receiving more and more attention from governments. Nevertheless, gender-based bullying and violence in schools have not decreased, as well as school environments remain unsafe and non-inclusive for the LGBTQ community. This thesis aims to enhance understanding of LGBT inclusivity and CSE and its adaptation and enactment in Hong Kong. It provides an in-depth analysis of CSE and answers three main research questions: (1) How did LGBT rights rise to become a global discourse? (2) How was CSE promoted from the UNESCO agenda to global education policy? (3) How has CSE been transferred to sexuality education policy in Hong Kong? To address these questions, first, it traces the historical development of LGBT movements, which evolved from the start of individual pioneers to the establishment of LGBT organisations and large-scale transnational LGBT rights movements, and its rise to become a global education discourse. Next, it explores LGBT inclusiveness which has been packaged as “gender equality”, “non-discrimination”, “human rights” etc, and promoted within CSE by agenda support, technical support for monitoring and social media push as a global education policy. Finally, it analyses CSE which has been adapted and enacted through weakening gender diversity, integrating concepts into different subjects, not creating separate subjects, etc. in Hong Kong, providing reflections on its impact and implications for policy. All right reserved.