Trans*+ing Classrooms: The Pedagogy of Refusal as Mediator for Learning

• In Event: 56.022 - Reimagining, Rethinking, and Reorienting Trans-formational Curricula and Pedagogies

Abstract

Gender and sexuality norms, conscribed under cis/heteropatriarchy, have established violent and unstable social and educational climates for this generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, agender/asexual, gender creative, and questioning youth. While strides have been made to make schools more supportive and queer inclusive, schools struggle to include LGBTIAGCQ-positive curricula. While studies must be done on behalf of queer youth, this work focuses on how to support classroom teachers to uptake and apply a pedagogy of refusal that attends to the most vulnerabilized population of queer youth to date, those that are trans*+ and trans*+ of color. A pedagogy of refusal explored through an evolving theory of trans*+ ness demonstrates applications for classroom practice, followed by recommendations for change.

Author

• sj Miller, NYU Steinhardt - The Metropolitan Center