Reimagining Mathematics through the Voices of Queer High School Students

• In Event: Learning to Fight, Fighting to Learn: Secondary Student Actors Reclaiming Mathematics Through Histories of Resistance

Abstract

Research has shown that mathematics teaching, learning, and curricula are neither neutral nor politically disconnected from broader social realities (D’Ambrosio, 1999; Kumashiro, 2004). Recent studies demonstrate that mathematics education often perpetuates exclusion based on gender, race, and sexual identity (Author & colleagues, 2025). However, there remains limited research on how mathematics education might be transformed into a space where all students, especially those identifying with non-normative genders and sexualities, feel welcome and able to thrive. This is particularly urgent given the rise in political attacks on queer individuals and legislative efforts to restrict their rights (Butler, 2024). As queer subjectivities are increasingly marginalized (The White House, 2025), the educational experiences of queer students—particularly in mathematics—are likely to worsen.
To explore how mathematics education can become more inclusive and affirming, this study employed the framework of Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice (TMSJ). Also referred to as Critical Mathematics (Skovsmose, 2023) or Social Justice Mathematics (Gutstein, 2006; Kokka, 2017, 2022), TMSJ aims to engage students in investigating and challenging social injustices through mathematics. The approach encourages students to examine injustices that affect their lives, model these injustices mathematically, and envision local or systemic solutions informed by that analysis.
This study focused on how queer high school students experienced TMSJ in relation to their identities. The participants included ten queer high school students from a Midwestern state in the U.S. who engaged in three mathematics lessons centered on understanding, examining, and challenging harassment and bullying in schools (Author 2, 2022; Kosciw et al., 2018, 2020). Following the lessons, each student participated in a one-hour individual interview. Five students later returned for a 90-minute focus group to reflect on the preliminary findings and suggest ways to create more inclusive educational environments.
Using a hypothesis-to-theory approach (Saldaña, 2024), this research examined how the lived experiences of queer students reveal the ways mathematics is often socially (ir)relevant to them. The findings point in two primary directions: some students perceived mathematics as irrelevant to their queer identities, while others viewed the subject as disconnected from any form of social identity altogether. However, TMSJ disrupted these perceptions. Students reported that, through TMSJ, mathematics became more meaningful, personally relevant, and inclusive. Their identities were acknowledged and made visible in the curriculum, which increased their interest in the subject and shifted their perceptions of themselves as capable mathematical thinkers.
The study also surfaced political discourses about power and change, including who has the authority to make schools more inclusive for queer students. Importantly, students offered concrete suggestions for making mathematics more socially relevant and affirming. Some recommended incorporating discussion, reading, theater, and history into mathematics instruction as ways to engage learners and make space for queer experiences. In conclusion, the findings highlight both the possibilities and the limitations of implementing TMSJ in formal mathematics education. Queer students’ insights point to urgent and creative directions for future research and practice. This study is significant because it supports us in further reimagining mathematics for all students.

Author

• Weverton Ataide Pinheiro, Texas Tech University