Locating Transgender Within the Language of Queer in Teacher Education

Abstract

Queer is difficult to pin down conceptually; it is willfully disruptive, intentionally destabilizing everything from identity to knowledge to politics to power. The intent of this article is to illuminate some of the ways teacher educators are conceptually connecting queer to transgender identities and experiences in their classroom curriculum and pedagogical strategies. The data discussed in this article refers to three courses designed for pre-service teachers and include transgender content. A syllabus analysis and interviews illuminated the various ways queer is being conceptualized in different ways by each teacher educator. Trans identities and experiences were affirmed to various degrees through the participants’ conceptualizations of queer as an identity, queer as an embodiment/expression, queer as an analytical approach, and queer as a political project. Fundamental to the instructors’ understanding of queer was an intentional subversiveness, an affinity for non-conformity and disruption, and a commitment to anti-assimilationist practices. Furthermore, the participants saw trans and queer connecting through a common gender socialization experience and social positioning outside gender norms, and through a mutual vulnerability to heteronormativity as a system of oppression—particularly those who are both trans and queer.

Acknowledgments

My deepest gratitude is extended to the phenomenal instructors who participated in this study; they gave generously of their time and wisdom, and I am forever grateful for their passion and commitment to preparing trans-affirming teachers. Additionally, I am sincerely thankful for all who have provided invaluable feedback on this article, its previous drafts, and the dissertation where it originated, including: Terry Flennaugh, Django Paris, Elizabeth J. Meyer, Alyssa Hadley Dunn, Lynn Fendler, Devon L. White, Jill Manske, Brynn Szukala, and the editors and peer reviewers at Multicultural Perspectives.