Teaching While Queer

The Call for Proposals for the 2026 Queering Education Conference is officially open. This conference isn’t about theory for the sake of theory. It’s about what’s actually happening in classrooms, schools, and communities right now—and what we can do about it. If you’re: • supporting queer students • navigating being a queer educator • rethinking curriculum • doing research • leading change in your school or organization I want your work in this space. We’re building this conference differently this year—with pathways like Supporting Queer Educators, Queering Curriculum, Queer Leadership, and more—so people can actually find what they need and leave with something they can use. Sessions can be: • 20-minute focused presentations • 45-minute sessions with built-in Q&A If you’ve been doing this work quietly, figuring things out as you go, or building something that’s working… this is your invitation to share it. 🔗 Link in bio to submit Share to your story, repost, send it to someone who should absolutely be presenting. #QueerEducation #LGBTQEducation #CallForProposals

Did you miss this one? Because whew… this conversation. “I don’t want your kid to be gay. I want them to be happy.” Check it out because we’re not talking about theory. We’re talking about what it actually looks like to teach with humanity in a system that keeps pushing back on it. We get into: – why “kindness” suddenly becomes controversial – how to talk about consent + boundaries without making it weird – and what it means to show up for kids when adults are the ones making it harder This one feels especially real right now. Go listen. Then tell me what part stuck with you. #QueeringEducation #Allyship #LGBTQ

Tomorrow’s guest on #QueeringEducation is a rockstar ally who has been very vocal in his approach to inclusive educational spaces. Please meet @mr.shearhod and take a listen to our conversation tomorrow!

It’s live 🎧 Shelby Hall Denney joins the podcast today—and this one is real in the way educators actually need right now. From special education teacher to leading the Safe Schools program at PFLAG NYC, Shelby brings both lived experience and practical tools for what inclusive teaching actually looks like beyond the buzzwords. We talk about: → moving past “safe space” stickers into real allyship → navigating fear, pushback, and tough conversations → why curiosity matters more than being “right” → and how to show up for queer students without losing yourself in the process If you’ve been trying to figure out how to make your classroom more inclusive in practice, start here. Listen now.

Tomorrow’s guest is someone doing the work where it actually matters—inside classrooms, with educators, and alongside students. Shelby Hall Denney (she/they/he) is a former special education teacher and now leads the Safe Schools program at PFLAG NYC—helping school communities move beyond performative allyship and into real, lived inclusion. This conversation gets into: → what inclusive teaching actually looks like in practice → how to navigate pushback without losing yourself → why “safe space” isn’t the end goal → and what queer students really need from us If you’ve ever wondered how to show up better—for your students and yourself—this one’s for you. New episode drops tomorrow 🎧

I think we’ve overcomplicated what “impact” is supposed to look like for queer educators. This week’s episode reminded me of something simple: You don’t have to announce yourself to change a room. Hill talked about how they never formally came out to students. Kids figured it out. And over time, things shifted—less hate language, different energy, more awareness. No big moment. No lesson plan. No speech. Just… being there. And I keep thinking about how often we’re told we need to be louder, more visible, more outspoken—as if quiet presence doesn’t count. It does. If you’re showing up as yourself and building a space where kids are a little safer, a little more human with each other—that’s real impact. That’s the work. Episode’s out now. #TeachingWhileQueer #QueerEducators #TransEducators #LGBTQTeachers #TeacherLife

Tomorrow on Queering Education 🎙️ We’re joined by Hill Werth—artist, activist, and trans educator—whose presence in the classroom is quietly changing everything. Hill doesn’t teach gender studies. They teach art. And still… students shift. Language softens. Belonging grows. This conversation gets real about: ✨ What visibility actually does (even when you say nothing) ✨ Teaching while trans in different systems ✨ Navigating fear, safety, and showing up anyway “It’s not a matter of coming out… it’s coming out over and over again.” If you’ve ever wondered whether just being you is enough in your classroom—this episode is your answer. Drops tomorrow. Don’t miss it. #QueerPedagogy #InclusiveTeaching #LGBTQEducation #TeacherLife #ClassroomInclusion

Tomorrow on Queering Education. I’m joined by Emilia (she/her), a graduate teaching assistant and first-year PhD student who is right in the middle of figuring out what it means to teach—and to show up fully as herself while doing it. We talk about building classrooms rooted in kindness (not just “niceness”), what accessibility actually looks like in practice, and how small shifts can completely change how students experience learning. There’s something really grounding about this conversation—especially if you’ve ever wondered, am I doing enough? or how do I keep showing up in this moment? Emilia reminds us: start with kindness. That’s where it begins. 🎧 New episodes air on Thursdays. #QueeringEducation #LGBTQEducators #InclusiveTeaching #HigherEd #TransEducators

You know someone. The one who makes their classroom feel safe without making a big announcement about it. The one students go to when they don’t have anyone else. The one doing the work even when it’s hard. Nominate them. Teaching While Queer’s Educator of the Month is about recognizing the people who are showing up for LGBTQ+ students and communities every day. Let’s make sure they’re seen. Submit your nomination at the link in bio. #TeachingWhileQueer #LGBTQEducation #QueerEducators

Psst…spread the word 👀 The podcast has a new name. Queering Education: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Teaching, Queer Pedagogy, and Real Classroom Practice A Teaching While Queer Podcast Same conversations. Same purpose. Bigger vision. This shift reflects what the work has always been about: building classrooms rooted in authenticity, belonging, and real inclusion. If you’re an educator trying to figure out how to: • support LGBTQ students • teach inclusively • show up as your full self You’re in the right place. 🎧 New episodes coming this week under the new name. Share to your story, repost, and send this to an educator who needs it. #QueeringEducation #InclusiveTeaching #LGBTQEducation

Today’s episode of Teaching While Queer is live—and it’s our 200th episode. I’ve been thinking a lot about what that actually means. Two hundred conversations centered on what it looks like to teach while queer—not in theory, but in real classrooms, with real constraints, real risks, and real students who need us to get this right. And right now, this is the question I’m hearing more than anything else: How do I teach inclusively when I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say? That’s not hypothetical. That’s daily decision-making. In this episode—How Queer Teachers Teach Inclusivity When They’re Not Sure What They’re Allowed To Say—I break down what inclusive teaching actually looks like when policies are unclear, pressure is high, and you still have a classroom full of students who deserve to feel like they belong. This is about: - Language shifts that reduce barriers immediately - Designing your classroom so inclusion is built in—not added on - Applying policies consistently so they don’t disproportionately target queer students or educators If you’re navigating this right now, this episode is for you. And if you’ve been part of this community—whether you’ve listened once or all 200—thank you. This work exists because educators keep showing up for each other. 🎧 New episode is live today.

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. And as a nonbinary educator, I want to be really clear about something. Visibility is not the goal. Safety is. Belonging is. Access is. Because being visible in a world that is actively trying to erase you is not always empowering. Sometimes it’s exhausting. Sometimes it’s dangerous. In schools, I see trans and nonbinary students show up every day ready to learn, create, and grow while navigating systems that still question whether they should exist at all. That is not a student problem. That is a design problem. So if you are an educator, here is the work: Use names and pronouns correctly. Every time. Build classrooms where identity is not something students have to defend. And challenge the policies that are making visibility unsafe. Trans people do not need to earn the right to be seen. They deserve to exist without conditions. And to my trans and nonbinary community I see you. I’m with you. Always. - @profbrystanton #TransDayOfVisibility #TransRightsAreHumanRights #ProtectTransYouth #QueerEducators #LGBTQEducation