The Ethics of Strategic Framing in Queer/Trans* Research: Protection, Access, and Transformation

• In Event: The Ethics of Strategic Framing in Queer/Trans* Research: Protection, Access, and Transformation

Abstract

Traditional IRB protocols protect individual participants but fail to address institutional harms facing queer and trans* communities in educational research. As Supreme Court decisions expand religious liberty claims and hostile policies spread, researchers need ethical frameworks beyond compliance. This symposium introduces "strategic framing" as an ethical methodology for protecting participants through intentional research design and dissemination strategies.

Four panelists share concrete protective strategies: navigating IRB approval in conservative contexts, developing "literacy of necessity" for survival, implementing intersectional approaches for intersectionally marginalized researchers, and using administrative power for "protective interference." The session models protective practices through anonymous strategy sharing. Together, we create a living document bridging theoretical ethics with practical survival tools for researchers and communities navigating hostile institutional environments.

Authors

• Shanna Peeples, West Texas A&M University

• Em Bowen, University of Arizona

• Ferial Pearson, University of Nebraska - Omaha

• Jason Laker, San José State University