Digital storytelling and multiliteracies: Challenging inequities faced by LGBTI Youth

Abstract

In contemporary Australian society, many LGTBI individuals face discrimination, with homophobia posing a danger to the health and well-being of vulnerable youth. Drawing on technology and literacy, the purpose of this research is to challenge inequities faced by LGBTI youth in Western Australia. This large 4-year project, currently in progress, focuses on engaging a group of LGBTI participants and their allies with multiliteracies, specifically digital storytelling to transform personal experiences and acknowledge diverse voices in the community. In collaboration with researchers, representatives from volunteer organizations and teachers, the study provides opportunities for LGBTI stories to be de-constructed, re-constructed and celebrated across communities. The approach is qualitative, focusing on words rather than numbers. Such an approach assumes that reality is complex and truths are multiple. Seeking deep understandings based on life worlds of participants, qualitative methods acknowledge the non-neutrality of researchers, research questions and theoretical frameworks. Integrating elements of an action-research process, the study provides opportunities for participants to creatively evaluate and design literacy activities using on-line and off-line technology. As content is disseminated in the local community and beyond, project results aim to transform community and institutional perceptions about LGBTI issues. Implications for pre-service and in-service teacher development are discussed