From Safe Spaces to Empowering Spaces: One LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer)-Supportive Teacher’s Pedagogy of Empowerment

• In Event: Constructing Knowledge and Promoting Social Change: Cutting Edge Issues in Social Justice

Abstract

Research indicates that when LGBTQ students can identify supportive teachers, their disproportionately high risks for negative outcomes are significantly reduced. However, very little is known about which teachers LGBTQ students perceive as supportive or what these teachers actually do. This qualitative case study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the practices of one LGBTQ-supportive teacher who employs a pedagogy of empowerment. Findings indicate several avenues through which teachers may empower LGBTQ students including: (1) increasing students’ sense of control over their own identity and their school climate, (2) engaging students in combating homophobia in their schools, (3) disrupting students’ heterosexist assumptions, (4) institutionalizing school structures and practices that promote empowerment, and (5) building coalitions with LGBTQ community organizations.

Author

• Sarah Schneider Kavanagh, University of Washington - Seattle