Learning the rules and then disrupting them: LGBQ Spanish language teachers’ resistance to heteronormativity

Abstract

This study utilized a queer theoretical perspective in analysis of interviews with 10 K–12 Spanish-language educators who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer from the Southeastern United States to examine their school/classroom experiences as well as their approaches to issues of gender and sexual diversity in the classroom. Findings indicate that these teachers utilized the Spanish language and cultures to problematize heteronormativity, inviting queer thinking (Nelson, 2020). Implications for this study address how the target languages and cultures of world language education can offer opportunities to destabilize heteronormativity and foster more inclusive classrooms.