Do straight teachers experience this? Performance as a medium to explore LGBTQ world language teacher identity

Abstract

School and work climate studies of LGBTQ-identified students and educators often reflect challenging environments for those with non-normative sexual and gender identities. Thus, this study sought to understand the experiences of LGBTQ-identified world language (WL) educators in the classroom as well as the intersections of their gender and sexual identities. Drawing upon Butler’s theory of gender performativity and arts-based approaches to research, specifically ethnodrama and performance, this article describes a researcher’s process of working through contradictions in research and representation. Through arts-based approaches to qualitative inquiry, the author maintains how such approaches can provide different mediums for exploring and conveying participants’ lived experiences that are often not possible through traditional qualitative methods of representation.