When Does “Too Early” Become “Too Late”? - Reflections of Croatian Secondary School Educators on the Persistence of LGBT Taboos in the Education System

Oct 15, 2026

This article examines how “too early” becomes “too late” in the persistence of LGBT taboos within Croatia’s education system. Based on thematic analysis of focus group data from secondary school educators in Zagreb, it identifies key factors sustaining this position: educators’ timing assumptions about when sexual education should begin, parents viewed as barriers to including LGBT topics in the curriculum, and the lack of a systematic, LGBT-inclusive approach to teaching sexuality. It concludes with research limitations and recommendations for future empirical and practical work.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

LGBT inclusivity in Croatian education research

Persistent sexuality taboos in public debate

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1327](https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1327) When Does “Too Early” Become “Too Late”? Reflections of Croatian Secondary School Educatorson the Persistence of LGBT Taboos in the Education System Marija Bartulović*1 and Barbara Kušević2 • The article presents one of the topics generated by a thematic analysis of data collected through a focus group process within the scientific research project LGBT (In)Visibility in School: The Educators’ Perspective, which focused on the taboo position of sexual and gender diversity within the education system. In four focus groups conducted with secondary school educators in Zagreb, the participants identified certain key factors in perpetuating such a position: the understanding of the child/student as an innocent being whose sexual education should begin at a time that educators themselves are unable to determine, the perception of parents as barriers to the inclusion of topics of sexual and gender diversity in the curriculum, and the absence of a systematic, LGBT-inclusive approach to teaching about sexuality. The concluding part of the article discusses the limitations of the research conducted and makes recommendations for future empirical and practical coverage of this topic. Keywords: educators, focus groups, LGBT-inclusive curriculum, parental rights, sexuality education 1 *Corresponding Author. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; [mbartulo@ffzg.hr](mbartulo@ffzg.hr). 2 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. 40 when does “too early” become “too late”? reflections of croatian secondary ... Kdaj »prekmalu« postane »prepozno«? Refleksije hrvaških srednješolskih učiteljev glede trdovratnosti LGBT-tabujev v izobraževalnem sistemu Marija Bartulović in Barbara Kušević • Prispevek predstavlja eno izmed tem, najdeno prek vsebinske analize podatkov, zbranih v fokusnih skupinah znotraj okvira znanstvenega raziskovalnega projekta LGBT (ne)vidnost v šoli: perspektive učiteljev, ki se je kot tak osredinjal na tabu spolne raznolikosti v izobraževalnemsistemu. V štirih fokusnih skupinah, izvedenih s srednješolskimi učitelji iz Zagreba, so udeleženci prepoznali nekatere ključne vidike, ki so vzrok za ohranjanje takšne pozicije: dojemanje otroka/učenca kot nedolžnega bitja, za katero se spolna vzgoja začne v trenutku, ki ga učitelji ne zmorejo prepoznati; umevanje staršev kot branikov do vključitve tematik, povezanih s spolno raznolikostjo, v učni načrt; primanjkljaj sistematičnega LGBT-inkluzivnega pristopa do poučevanja o spolnosti. Sklepni del prispevka obravnava omejitve opravljene raziskave ter predlaga priporočila za prihodnje empirično in praktično spoprijemanje s tematiko. Ključne besede: učitelji, fokusne skupine, LGBT-inkluzivni učni načrt, starševske pravice, spolna vzgoja Introduction The topic of LGBT inclusivity within the education system – by which we mean the measure and quality of the responsiveness of the education system to the needs of LGBT individuals, including the representation of LGBT topics in the curriculum and the way in which they are explicitly and implicitly addressed in the school’s culture – is insufficiently represented in Croatian empirical research (Pađen & Huić, 2021). The few empirical studies that do exist describe the heteronormativity and hostility of the Croatian social context in general and the education system in particular. Applying Meyer’s model of minority stress to the Croatian context, Kamenov et al. (2015) summarise the empirical studies conducted to date related to the position of homosexual and bisexual people in Croatia and conclude that, despite a favourable legal framework, the propagated tolerance of the Catholic Church, the official comprehension of homosexuality as a variant of sexual orientation and the absence of extremely negative public attitudes towards the LGB community, the dai

FAQs

What does the article mean by “LGBT inclusivity” in education?

It refers to how responsive and well-developed the education system is to LGBT needs, including the representation of LGBT topics in the curriculum and how those topics are addressed explicitly and implicitly in school culture.

What factors did Zagreb secondary educators identify as sustaining LGBT taboos?

They highlighted: educators viewing the child/student as innocent with timing they cannot determine for sexual education; parents seen as barriers to including LGBT-related topics; and the absence of a systematic LGBT-inclusive approach to teaching about sexuality.

What is the article’s contribution regarding future work?

The concluding part discusses the study’s limitations and provides recommendations for future empirical and practical coverage of this topic.

Oct 15, 2026

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