“How Does That Apply to Me?” The Gross Injustice of Having to Translate

Abstract

Abstract When we hear discourse that does not fit our own life schema but could with some subtle (or not so subtle) adjustments, the path of least resistance, in many cases, is simply to internally adjust the discourse to fit our schema. This article explores the injustice of students having to translate teacher discourse to apply to their own stories. I assert that translation is a socialized human process. The first part of this article argues that the necessity of engaging in translation is a microaggression continually encountered by individuals who embody difference. I focus specifically on the manifestations of this practice on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQQIA) community and speak directly to the injustices of heteronormative and gender normative discourses in the context of school music. Drawing on different music education settings, I point to strategic practical choices educators can employ in classroom discourse to ensure that their language and other classroom representations include all students in the classroom. The discussion portion of this article interrogates the uncomplicated nature of the discursive suggestions I put forward in light of the biopolitical issues faced by the LGBTQQIA community.