Pedagogy and pleasure: trans and gender transgressive students in an LGBTQ-themed literature class

Abstract

Schools are often hostile places for trans students, but I explore teaching and learning in a classroom that foregrounds LGBTQ people and in a school that actively strives to minimise cisnormativity. In this ethnographic teacher research project, I, a cisgender queer white woman, taught and studied an LGBTQ-themed Literature course at a U.S. grassroots charter school for the arts. I studied student work, interviews, and class discussions to learn about the experiences of three students– a trans man, a gender fluid/non-binary student, and a ‘feminine male.’ Ifound that these students benefitted when space was made for them, trust was established with their teacher and classmates, they were treated with respect, they were provided texts that resonated with them, and they were given opportunities to bolster their self-confidence. Moreover, I found it was important to understand these students holistically, not solely in terms of gender, and to prioritise their pleasure.