60. Global Perspective of LGBTQ Folx Working In Education

Have you ever wondered how queer educators navigate their identities across different cultural landscapes?

In today's globalized world, queer educators face a myriad of challenges and triumphs as they strive to create inclusive environments for their students. Understanding these diverse experiences can shed light on strategies for fostering acceptance and growth in educational settings.

In this episode you will:

• Gain insights into the complexities of authenticity in both conservative and liberal educational environments.
• Discover innovative approaches to advocacy and policy-making within academia to promote LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
• Learn firsthand from educators worldwide about their journeys, struggles, and successes in creating safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth.

Ready to explore how queer educators are making a difference worldwide? Tune in now to hear stories from South Africa, the UK, Canada, France, Nigeria, and beyond, and gain invaluable insights into creating inclusive classrooms.

Transcript

Bryan (he/they): 0:04

Welcome to Teaching While Queer, where we are providing queer folks working in education with a community to feel less alone and unload the burden of identity politics so you can work and live as your authentic self. I'm your host, brian Stanton. My pronouns are he they. I am a theater pedagogue and educator in New York City and I am so pleased to have you here. Please enjoy Teaching While Queer. Hello everyone and welcome to Teaching While Queer. I am your host, brian Stanton. My pronouns are he they.

Bryan (he/they): 0:41

This mini-sode will address the experiences of queer educators from a global perspective. We will take a look back at conversations with queer educators from around the world. Let's begin our journey with our most recent global episode, which features soon-to-be Dr Kirsten Jenna Lee on Season 2, episode 37. Kirsten is founder of Queer Connect and a digital marketing lecturer at a university in South Africa. She has navigated both the very conservative regions of South Africa and currently works in a more progressive area in Cape Town. Our conversation touches on the complexities of authenticity in public and private spheres and the creation of sanctuaries that foster connection and true self-expression. Kirsten's perspective brings to light the diversity of challenges faced in the conservative and liberal settings alike and the innovative ways that educators can become beacons of change for their students. Next we head to the UK, where Damon Young, from Season 2, episode 33, is a Doctor of Education student at the University of Strathclyde, focusing on LGBTQIA plus inclusion in higher education. During our conversation, we chronicled the remarkable transformation from the 1990s, a time of overt discrimination, to today's landscape of increased LGBTQIA plus rights and visibility. Our conversation turns to an exploration of advocacy and policy within academia, a realm where equality, diversity and inclusion are still being actively forged. Damon and I dissect the nuances of LGBTQIA plus policies across UK universities, the struggle for consistent interpretation and the need for policies that go beyond legal compliance, legal compliance.

Bryan (he/they): 2:48

Canadian educator and social media personality. Monsieur Steve and I sat down on season one, episode 12, to compare educational standards between the United States and Canada. Monsieur Steve candidly shares his journey of self-discovery, his struggle with acceptance within a religious and stifling environment, and his own experiences of bullying and the denial of transfer to a more accepting school and how those have molded his teaching philosophy. He shares insight into his approach of creating a secure environment for his students, heavily influenced by his own experiences. During our conversation, we dissect three anti-queer bills in Texas from 2023 and how voting laws impact social issues in political realms. As folks who grew up in the 90s, we stress the importance of visibility in media in raising awareness and understanding for the queer community. Monsieur Steve leaves us with his unique teaching methods for authentic French and the effect of his educational videos. You can check out his work on Instagram or YouTube at at Monsieur Steve Seth Day, former nanny turned teacher from season one, episode nine, shares his experiences as a trans educator in a private school in Canada.

Bryan (he/they): 4:19

From New York, he shares his journey coming to terms with his queer identity and, in a very candid moment, explains that it was a conversation with his partner which led to his fully understanding his trans identity. Seth compares life as a nanny in New York to working as an educator in Montreal and how he and his peers work to ensure their students have the most inclusive environment. Curriculum at their school includes conversations on identity, belonging and sharing circles to support their diverse group of students. Next we talk to Roman Galati from Season 1, episode 1. Next we talk to Roman Galati from Season 1, episode 1. He provides us with some insight from France, a German teacher who grew up in a small town in France. He did not have a lot of exposure to queer identities, which led to his desire to be open with his students and as an educator. This focus on representation helps him to create a culture of understanding and empathy. Focus on representation helps him to create a culture of understanding and empathy. Our conversation turns to the impact of discriminatory laws, the unsettling rise of attacks on the community and the need for unity and solidarity to resist these adversities.

Bryan (he/they): 5:49

Tune in to Season 1, episode 1 for an enlightening discussion that lays bare the struggles, resilience and journey of an openly gay educator in France. Finally, we talked to Dr Lulu, who is a physician, educator, coach and activist who, at the time of our interview, was living in San Antonio, texas. We had the privilege to actually meet in person and both spoke at a vigil for the victims of Club Q shooting in 2023. We both impressed upon the group the need for action, especially in the political realm. Our conversation in Season 1, episode 5, we talk about her upbringing in Nigeria and how difficult it was to come to terms with her bisexuality, and how difficult it was to come to terms with her bisexuality. She shares about her own struggles as a parent of a trans child and the journey she went on to support her child in a very patriarchal world, this particularly compounded due to the intersection of gender, sexuality and race. Dr Delulu shares during our conversation that her native language of Igbo has no gender-specific pronoun. The only option in Igbo is akin to the English word they. We talk about the evolution from tolerance to acceptance, to affirmation and the idea of inviting in as opposed to coming out, which is a much more inclusive perspective of sharing our personal journeys. Our conversation was invaluable in expanding my understanding of life in Nigeria and the implications of intersecting identities.

Bryan (he/they): 7:29

Thanks for taking a trip around the world with me today. Remember, you can check in with our Canadian educators Monsieur Steve, season 1, episode 12, and Seth Day, season 1, episode 2. Dr Lulu from Nigeria in Season 1, episode 5. Romain Galati from France, season 1, episode 1. Damon Young from the UK, season two, episode 33,. And the brand new doctor in the community, dr Kirsten Jenna Lee, from season two, episode 33. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Teaching While Queer. Connect with fellow queer educators and your favorite guests on our online community at wwwteachingwhilequeerorg. New community members receive a free resource focused on creating an inclusive classroom environment. Have a great day.