Transcending Heteronormativity in the Classroom

SUMMARY Although a growing body of work addresses heterosexism and homophobia in the classroom context, the majority of this literature neglects trans identities and issues. For various reasons, trans existence currently poses particular challenges to many college students and professors. Foremost among these are traditional assumptions about sex, gender, and sexual identities as stable, essential, binary entities, notions that are often grounded in scientific, religious, and political ideologies. In this essay, we first review various conceptualizations of transgenderism and explore the advantages of applying queer theory and critical pedagogical strategies to this subject. Second, based on our work together and our individual experiences, we offer suggestions for facilitating constructive classroom dialogues around “trans-anxieties” and provide examples of student responses to these methods.