Unpacking Educator Perceptions of Gender and Sexual Orientation to Reimagine the Experiences of LGBTQI Youth

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring the Intersection of Identity and Leadership for Social Justice

Abstract

One cannot cultivate equity in the 21st century without addressing attacks on the rights of LGBTQI individuals. Specifically, LGBTQI youth in K-12 schools. In this paper, we unpack findings from the Personal and Professional Beliefs about Gender and Sexuality Survey (PPBGS) to better understand leaders’ and educators’ perceptions of gender identity and sexual orientation, and the necessary teaching and learning processes to foster equity, disrupt systemic inequality, and deepen learning for LGBTQI youth. GLSENs framework for safe and inclusive schools is used as the catalyst for disrupting inequities, and the key lenses of legal privilege of heteronormative practices that feed into the foundational “isms” attached to transphobia, homophobia, and sexism.

Authors

• LaSonja Roberts, Western Michigan University

• Wessam Abdelaziz, Western Michigan University

• Mary Ebejer, Western Michigan University