Why LGBT Issues Matter in Education (original) (raw)
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Educator Advocacy for Queer Students in Schools
2019
In this Dialogues we are highlighting educators, community members, and researchers whose work focuses on advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) students in educational institutions. Despite greater visibility, more legal protections, and seemingly greater support for LGBTQ+ individuals, LGBTQ+ students in K-12 schools still face hostile school environments with little to no representation in school curricula. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s most recent school climate report found that over half the LGBTQ+, or queer, students surveyed reported facing regular bullying and harassment. Additionally, trans and gender nonconforming students, and transgender people in the United States at large, face threats to their rights under the Trump presidency.
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education, 2007
Historically, schooling has been a point of contention and restless agitation for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in North America who may feel trapped in prisons of invisibility. Traditionally, queer people's existence in educational settings has been denied or made invisible, not just physically (in school hallways and classrooms, etc.) but also in terms of discourse, curricular representation, and policy design. This review discusses five books: (1) I Could
AERA 2020. Translating Queer and Feminist Scholarship into Educational Policy and Practice
This symposium examines the processes involved in using knowledge and experiences gained through scholarship to enact substantial change efforts that position gender and sexuality at the center of educational concerns. Scholars contributing to this symposium are committed to using research about gender and sexuality issues to (1) confront moral panics that erupt when sexuality and education intersect, (2) disrupt and dismantle gender and sexuality-based exclusions and abuse and (3) impact policies, practices, and experiences in educational contexts. Authors address what it means to do this work when sexuality is "an uninvited guest" (Gilbert, 2014) in education arenas and are invested in seizing opportunities to create interventions with potential to disrupt and shift status quo ways of thinking and doing in heteronormative institutions. Summary Stigma attached to issues of gender and sexuality remains a significant barrier to creating supportive and inclusive practices across all levels of education. In June 2019, during Pride Month, librarians at a US university were chastised for posting a sign quoting Lady Gaga: "Gays are like glitter. They never go away." They were forced to remove the sign intended to show support for LGBTQ students. Campus administrators stated that minors were on campus for summer activities, complicating issues of appropriate messaging on campus and asserted that the sign violated policies about using university platforms to "make a personal statement or advocate a personal viewpoint." When such controversies arise in educational contexts, whether it be a university or an elementary school, "sexuality is often positioned as an intruder, arriving on the scene from some other foreign place only to ruin the peaceful innocence of children and the school itself" (Gilbert, 2014, p. xviii). The scholars contributing to this symposium are committed to using research about gender and sexuality issues in education to (1) confront moral panics that erupt when sexuality and education intersect, (2) disrupt and dismantle gender and sexuality-based exclusion and abuse and (3) impact policies, practices, and experiences in youth and educational contexts. The questions we grapple with include: How do we translate our research into practice in ways that account for and disrupt stigmatizing forces? How do we navigate local, state, and national bureaucracies that are invested in preserving the status quo? What are the ways we can make our research matter when the matter of our research is seen as threatening in educational environments? How do we use our research to challenge the common perception that efforts to impact issues of gender and sexuality in school constitute a "personal" agenda? Key to this is actively seeking out ways to connect more directly with how our feminist and queer research practices operate at the thresholds of 'research,' 'public pedagogy,' and 'activism'-what Renold (2018, 2019) refers to as the 'more-than' of research when discussing the possibilities of publicly-engaged scholarship. The purpose of this symposium is to examine the processes involved in using scholarship to enact substantial change efforts that position gender and sexuality at the center of educational concerns. The projects discussed during this symposium come from the US and UK and include addressing LGBTQ issues in state anti-bullying law compliance in the US; the challenges of responding to new national sex education guidelines in England; experimenting with what research on gender and sexual violence can do, be and become in the socio-political context of Wales; and tensions inherent in working in school districts delivering trainings on transgender issues when the (d)evolving district policy excludes transgender youth in the US. Authors address what it means to do this work when sexuality is "an uninvited guest" (Gilbert, 2014, p. xviii) in schooling and are invested in seizing opportunities to create interventions with potential to disrupt and shift status quo ways of thinking and doing in heteronormative institutions.
The Lived Experiences of LGBTQQIAA Advocates in Education - The Teacher Educator 51(3), 2016
Kristopher M. Goodrich, Karla V. Kingsley, Carlos LópezLeiva & Douglas Daugherty (2016) The Lived Experiences of LGBTQQIAA Advocates in Education, The Teacher Educator, 51:3, 211-229, DOI: 10.1080/08878730.2016.1173156 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and ally (LGBTQQIAA) students are not commonly discussed in teacher education programs. Issues related to LGBTQQIAA learners need to be addressed in schools and in teacher education programs. Extant research shows that LGBTQQIAA students often face hostile school climates, with few resources and little support, which can lead to higher levels of absence and truancy, lower levels of academic achievement, and numerous negative health outcomes. This article uses autoethnographic methods to examine the experiences of an activist group working with preservice teachers, teacher educators, and other social justice advocates on a long-term service project for undergraduate teacher candidates aimed at increasing recognition of and giving voice to K–12 LGBTQQIAA students’ experiences. Issues related to agency and resistance are addressed, and implications for teacher preparation programs are discussed.