In the field of Humanities and Education, new key terms are understanding, acceptance, and respect for diversity, aiming at inclusive societies and communities according to democratic ideals. However, what do we mean by diversity? Diversity is an umbrella concept that includes individuals or social groups differentiated from the dominant culture due to language, race, religion, gender, etc. Regarding diversity in sexual orientation, in the international literature, the term "sex" refers to biological differences, while the term "gender" is used to discuss social and cultural structures based on gender differences (Kokkidou, 2022). According to Galanou (2014), gender identity is understood as the internal and individual way of sexual experience and expression that may or may not coincide with the sex legally identified and recorded at birth. Sexual orientation is the ability of each person to feel emotional and / or sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex, or to people of the same sex, or to more than one sex.

In cultural studies, there are distinct disciplines that focus on gender identity diversity and consensus on the use of the generic term "LGBTIQ +" (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning, and + refers to anything beyond these groupings) as mentioned in people who exhibit deviant sexual behaviors to the extent of socially acceptable conventions. In Greece, respectively, the term ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+ (Lesbians, Homosexuals, Bisexuals, Trans, Queer, Intersex, +) is mentioned by the Greek Government in the 2021 declaration of the National Strategy for equality and human rights.

Education has the potential and power to promote the values ​​of inclusiveness and eliminate any form of discrimination against ‘others.' However, reality refutes the visions and the relevant declarations. In particular, according to a survey contacted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2014), 96% of respondents in Greece aged 18 to 24 said that they received negative feedback during school education or witnessed extreme marginalization of students who were considered as LGBTIQ+. This was the second-highest rate in the EU after Cyprus. In the same research, it was found that almost one out of three respondents was even targeted by teachers due to the manifestation of LGBTIQ+ type of behaviors.In the field of music education, although the debate on social justice has been developed to a great extent, only recently has there been an interest concerning the importance of LGBTIQ+ matters. More specifically, researchers expressed their concerns regarding the hegemonic-patriarchal discourse of gender representations in the genre of popular music (Tobias, 2014). In conclusion, in the 21st century, music educators continue to teach about white European male composers while intentionally or unintentionally ignoring the presence of queer performers and creators.

This article will attempt to highlight the problems of the LGBTIQ+ student population by focusing on school music and music teachers’ role concerning the repertoire (audio and audiovisual material) and its interpretation. The subject will be questioned by a thorough literature review enriched with elements of self-ethnographic research. It is a statement that inclusive education should recognize LGBTIQ+ children and respect all kinds of diversity in a changing world.

• Ταυτότητες και ετερότητες στη μουσική και τη μουσική εκπαίδευση
• Ζητήματα αναπαραστάσεων και ιδεολογιών στη μουσική εκπαίδευση (φυλή, φύλο, γλώσσα, τάξη, κουλτούρα κ.ά.)
• Μουσική αγωγή, κοινωνική δικαιοσύνη και ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα

Sophia Aggelidou is a music educator, musicologist, and researcher. She is a graduate of the Department of Musical Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She holds a master's degree from the Post-graduate program "Semiotics and Communication" at the University of Western Macedonia. She attended choir direction and musicology at Music Academy “Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia, Bulgaria. She worked with a scholarship under the supervision of Professor Graham Welch at the Institute of Education in London. She teaches music in Primary Education since 2003. She serves as treasurer of the Board of the Greek Society for Music Education. She speaks English, Italian and Bulgarian