GAY DISCOURSE IN ADULT-EDUCATION - A CRITICAL-REVIEW

This paper explores the dual roles, both emancipatory and oppressive, that adult education plays within the gay and lesbian community. The p aper argues that heterosexism, a widely shared system that assumes com pulsory heterosexuality for everyone, results in domination of lesbian and gay people. Theoretically, the paper locates heterocentricity wit hin the larger field of education. An extensive literature review is u sed to demonstrate that mainstream adult education reproduces heteroce ntric assumptions, social relations, and beliefs, at the expense of ga y resistance discourse. Libratory, popular adult education within the gay and lesbian community is contrasted with more mainstream adult edu cation practices, purposes, and programs.