"White People Are Gay; So Are My Kids": Examining Intersections of Race, Class, and Sexuality

• In Event: 58.061 - Critical Explorations of Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Education

Abstract

A significant body of research examines the roles and characteristics of teachers who identify as allies to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students. The literature notes the vulnerability of LGBTQ student populations but often excludes students’ racial and socioeconoimc identities as relevant to LGBTQ topics. Drawing on queer theory, this paper is based on a longitudinal study that examines through individual and focus group interviews the ways in which Miranda, a novice secondary English Education teacher, shifted from a bisected understanding of race as separate from class and LGBTQ topics to a position that fully embraced the importance of both race and class in both serving LGBTQ students and teaching LGBTQ topics.

Author

• Stephanie Anne Shelton, The University of Alabama