Queer (v.) Pedagogy

Abstract

The study of queer pedagogy has emerged from broader queer theory as a means to address what queer theory can tell us about teaching and learning. This article is an exploration of queer pedagogy, its basis in queer theory, and its implications for educators. I begin with a brief explanation of queer theory, and a description of the relationship between queer theory and pedagogy. Then I address the question of why we need a queer pedagogy—that is, what does queer pedagogy offer that other pedagogies do not? Finally, I explore the implications of queer pedagogy for educational practice and review some examples of queer pedagogies in action.

Notes

The acronym BDSM stands for three kinds of consensual sexual relations: bondage/discipline, domination/subordintion, and sadism/masochism.

In this paper I use gender neutral or “third gender” pronouns to refer to hypothetical third persons. This avoids gendering my example or distorting grammar with the plural “they.” There are several sets of gender neutral pronouns currently in use within queer and transgender communities: ze for the subject pronoun and hir (sounds like “here”) for the object and possessive pronouns, as in “I heard from hir yesterday, and ze's really happy in hir new home.” (Transgender Michigan, n.d.)

One exception is Lipkin's (2003) chapter, which however, is only three pages long. Lipkin takes the small but necessary first step of acknowledging that there are students who call themselves queer, that they mean something different than students who call themselves gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and that there may be significant differences in the identity development of queer as opposed to GLB students. Lipkin also notes that educators need to pay attention to the ways in which the word queer has the potential to be both more and less inclusive than GLB or GLBT, because it encompasses a broader range of sexualities, but it is a word that is rooted primarily in white communities. Unfortunately Lipkin does not suggest anything specific about how educators might work effectively with queer students. Rodriguez (1998) does offer some practical ways to work with youth who are queer in both subject position and politics, which I discuss later in this article.

I use “trans” rather than “transgender” here because I hear “transgender” being used increasingly to indicate specific kinds of trans identities, whereas “trans” refers more generally to people who may identify themselves as transgender, transsexual, cross-dressers, gender benders, genderqueer, and so on. The language used in trans communities is evolving rapidly, and this definition is neither fixed nor universal. At this moment, “trans” seems like an appropriate way to encompass a diverse range of non-normative gender identities.