A White Queer Geek at School: Intersections of Whiteness and Queer Identity

Abstract

Tetra is an “out” middle school student. She identifies as a “lesbian,” a “tomboy,” “butch,” an “oddball,” and a “geek.” These identifications could place her as a marginalized and alienated student. However, Tetra was a successful student, both socially and academically. At her diverse public middle school, Tetra was privileged in her Whiteness and economic class status. Tetra's story is the tale of how one lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender student used her privilege and power to counteract the negative impact of homophobia she faced at school. She was an outsider at school, and she used this oppositional identity for both survival and to maintain her own privilege. Tetra speaks to how we as educators can help students become active agents in handling their marginalizations and confronting their own race and class-based privilege.