“New Brunswick or Queer”: Building Queer Joy Through Participatory Collage-Making With 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth in New Brunswick, Canada

• In Event: Educating Queers, Queering Education

Abstract

Amid ongoing debates on the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in New Brunswick, Canada, this study explores novel support approaches within the province's schools. Recent amendments to Policy 713, the 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion policy, requiring parental consent for students' chosen names and pronouns, have stirred controversy. This inquiry draws from four participatory collage-making workshops with 180 secondary students held in 2023 across New Brunswick. Using participatory visual methods that centered queer joy, the workshops aimed to amplify 2SLGBTQIA+ youth responses to their school experiences. Participants reflected on themes of queer and trans joy, exploring current expressions and future possibilities amid educational challenges.

Authors

• Melissa Erin Keehn, University of New Brunswick

• Casey Megan Burkholder, Concordia University - Montreal