Where You Are Matters: Examining Sociocultural Factors' Effects on LGBTQ Teacher Ally Work

• In Event: Learning to Teach Justly: Preservice Practices for Social Change

Abstract

Research demonstrates supportive teachers’ importance in the success and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students; numerous studies have examined what factors affect LGBTQ-supportive classrooms. However, few researchers examine the degrees to which stakeholders, e.g., administrators, colleagues, students, and community members, shape participants’ efforts to build LGBTQ-positive classrooms. Focusing on participant Lillian’s experiences over the course of a three year longitudinal study, from pre-service teaching to her second year of in-service teaching, Lillian’s narratives suggested that—contrary to the dominant body of literature—sociocultural factors such as school-level homophobia and classroom-level student tensions more heavily shaped her successes as a LGBTQ activist than her personal beliefs or professional training.

Author

• Stephanie Anne Shelton, The University of Alabama