Today I want to provide space for our transgender siblings. The “T” in LGBTQ often gets attacked from both a heterosexual and homosexual perspective. There are those who wish to distance the LGB from the T and in reality we are all connected and our past victories would not have been won without that contributions of our transgender siblings. So let’s take a look at five conversations I’ve had with Transgender educators over the last two years.
Each person provides their journey and personal perspective on being a transgender educator and I hope that you feel less alone by hearing their stories.
Support the podcast by becoming a subscriber. For information click here.
The podcast explores the challenges and successes of LGBTQ representation in education, addressing issues such as burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the importance of advocacy in creating inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies, with a focus on supporting non-binary teachers and gender identity in schools to combat the feeling of isolation and lack of community.
Today I want to provide space for our transgender siblings. The “T” in LGBTQ often gets attacked from both a heterosexual and homosexual perspective. There are those who wish to distance the LGB from the T and in reality we are all connected and our past victories would not have been won without that contributions of our transgender siblings. So let’s take a look at five conversations I’ve had with Transgender educators over the last two years.
Each person provides their journey and personal perspective on being a transgender educator and I hope that you feel less alone by hearing their stories.
Support the podcast by becoming a subscriber. For information click here.
The podcast explores the challenges and successes of LGBTQ representation in education, addressing issues such as burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the importance of advocacy in creating inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies, with a focus on supporting non-binary teachers and gender identity in schools to combat the feeling of isolation and lack of community.
Speaker 1:
Teaching While Queer is a podcast for 2SLGBTQ plus educational professionals to share their experiences in academia. Hi, I'm your host, Brian Stanton, a theater pedagogue and educator in New York City, and my goal is to share stories from around the world from 2SLGBTQ plus educators. I hope you enjoy Teaching While Queer. Hello everyone, and welcome to another mini-sode of Teaching While Queer. I am your host, Brian Stanton, and my pronouns are he they. Today, I want to provide space for our transgender siblings. The T in LGBTQ often gets attacked from both a heterosexual and homosexual perspective. There are those who wish to distance the LGB from the T and in reality, we are all connected and our past victories would not have been won without the contributions of our transgender siblings. So let's take a look at five conversations I've had with transgender educators over the last two years. Let's first get reacquainted with SJ Janjua. Sj is featured on season two, episode 11, and we talk extensively about their experience as the founder of Empowered for Equity Consulting. They provide trainings for educators, administrators and school officials on inclusive practices for all humans. Sj shares stories of their next race background and the struggles of growing up feeling invisible, of their mixed race background and the struggles of growing up feeling invisible. The key moment is that SJ and I share strategies and actionable advice for queer teachers trying to chart their path in education. We dive into true allyship, legal protections and the collective work needed to cultivate safer educational spaces and the collective work needed to cultivate safer educational spaces. Listen to SJ's story on Season 2, Episode 11. Finn Menzies is a skilled educator with experience working from preschool all the way up to teaching college, but now has taken on the role of consultant and, after episode aired, began the journey to be a therapist. He strives to support queer families through their transition. On Finn's episode, season two, episode seven, we talk about his gender journey and how, in retrospect, he saw himself as a mean girl, when he is, in fact, a very caring person. We dissect the unique interplay of masculinity and dive into the challenges he faced being a trans man in a preschool classroom. He shares his strategies for combating stereotypes, promoting gender inclusivity and creating an open space for students to discuss family structures and real-world experience. Catch up with Finn by Season 2, Episode 7.
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On Season 1, Episode 9, we met nanny-turned turned teacher Seth Day. In our discussion, Seth raves about the very supportive private school he works at in Montreal, Canada In a very vulnerable moment. Seth shares that it was a discussion with his partner that led him to discover his trans identity and how the support of his partner has been instrumental in his transition. He talks candidly about his work as a nanny and allowing children to explore their identities by accepting the pronouns a choice children make, as sometimes they just want to try them on and see how they fit. Seth shares strategies for being authentic in job interviews. Seth shares strategies for being authentic in job interviews, and this specific tool is not only important for you to understand if the job is right for you, but also to make sure that the workplace is prepared for who you are and that this is a safe place for you to work. Seth's story isn't just about teaching while queer. It's about living, learning and leading with authenticity. Reconnect with Seth Day on Season 1, Episode 9.
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Alicia Arbalo, on Season 2, Episode 13, shares her experiences having worked in education for 36 years. A now-retired but still-subbing educator from Los Angeles, California, Alicia talks extensively about how she navigated the very machismo world of Latino culture to come into her own world of Latino culture, to come into her own. Having transitioned later in life. Alicia recounts how amazing and supportive the students have been throughout her transition. Our conversation turns to some of the horrific realities of life for transgender women in the 80s and 90s, and it was clear that Alicia's story is an affirmation of the resilience of the human spirit. Alicia shares that what the school community needs right now is proper education for staff members on equity and a deeper understanding of the existing laws and mandates that protect LGBTQIA plus teachers and students. That protect LGBTQIA plus teachers and students. There is something magical about spending time with someone who is an elder in your community. I encourage you to commune with Alicia Arbalo on season two, episode 13. From educator to administrator, we're going to meet our last trans educator for this minisode.
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Season 2, episode 14 features Max Whitehouse, a principal from Oregon. Max is also a board member on the newly formed Teaching While Queer non-profit board. Max shares his experience as a queer youth and how he transitioned in his 30s. Max works at a very inclusive school that focuses on equity and respect for all students. He delves into the evolution of pronouns and shares his perspective on addressing anti-queerness in schools queerness in schools. What's great about this conversation is that Max, now an administrator, shared realistic advice for new queer educators, providing both the perspective of someone who has been hired as a queer educator and someone who is hiring queer educators. Hear Max's full story on season two, episode 14.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for tuning in to this mini-episode of Teaching While Queer. Please join us in our online community to connect with fellow queer educators at wwwteachingwhilequeerorg. Have a great day everyone. Have a great day everyone. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Teaching While Queer. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did make sure to subscribe. Wherever you listen to your favorite podcast, Leave a review, and that would help out tremendously. You can also support the podcast by going to wwwteachingwhilequeercom and hit support the show. Thanks so much and have a great day.