Mthandeki Zhange ^* Kesh Mohangi

• University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

Gender and sexually diverse youth in schools experience exclusion, which detrimentally affects their ability to cope with the consequences of minority stress and may lead to absenteeism and drop-out. This paper presents findings from a qualitative interpretive phenomenological study with twelve purposively selected self-identifying LGBTQ+ youth residing in a rural South African community. The purpose of the study is to highlight a pressing need for inclusive policies and practices to aid in enabling LGBTQ+ learners in schools. This paper explores how multiple systems intersect to promote a sense of inclusion and engagement within the school environment and impacts the resilience of LGBTQ+ youth in a rural school setting. Data was gathered through participant interviews. The findings of this study demonstrate how certain schools in rural settings employ innovative methods to support LGBTQ+ learners despite limited resources and the absence of comprehensive, inclusive policies on gender and sexually diverse learners. This study's findings indicate a pressing need to confront and address hetero-and cisnormativity within the education macro system. The findings have implications for LGBTQ+ learners in rural community schools worldwide. This study shows the significance of teacher emotional support, addressing homophobic bullying, moving away from gender-based uniform prescriptions and designating some school bathrooms as gender-neutral to LGBTQ+ learners' resilience. Future longitudinal studies could focus on how school ecologies inclusive of teachers, parents and the wider community can foster the resilience of LGBTQ+ learners, particularly in rural community contexts Keywords: Gender and Sexual Diversity 1, Hetero-and Cisnormativity 2, LGBTQ+ youth 3, Multisystemic Resilience 4, Rural school settings 5.