Opportunities and Constraints: Teachers' Perceptions of School Practices and <scp>LGBTQ</scp> + Student Well‐Being in Rural Icelandic Schools

ABSTRACT In recent years, increased attention has been given in Iceland to the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ students following findings from a national survey of teenagers indicating that their well‐being is significantly poorer than that of their non‐queer peers. These findings have been linked to the rise of anti‐LGBTQ+ politics, policies and actions globally, as well as to a lack of education on queer and gender issues, despite legal and policy requirements within Icelandic education. Interviews were conducted with teachers in 13 compulsory schools in rural areas to explore their views on providing safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ students and on practices that may promote inclusion. The findings suggest that schools largely maintain cisheteronormative understandings of gender and fail to implement recent societal counteractions supporting LGBTQ+ rights. As a result, traditional gender roles persist, and this lack of transformative school practices may negatively affect the security and well‐being of LGBTQ+ youth.