Unchanged stories? Gender and sexuality diverse teachers and research

This paper offers an analysis of the kinds of stories that are told about sexuality and schools in research with gender and sexuality diverse (GSD) teachers. The paper draws from the authors’ own experiences of working as queer teachers across national and international contexts, as well as from over 30 years of research in the field. The presence of GSD teachers within schools has, over time, been linked to moves towards social justice, however, as global politics swings to the far right, the presence of GSD in schools has circled backwards to become synonymous with a threat to childhood innocence, inappropriate content for sexuality education and, in the case of Safe Schools, a Marxist agenda that threatens the very fabric of Australian society. The paper takes up some of the key themes that characterise GSD teacher stories to argue that the experiences of GSD teachers, their persistence and tenacity make them not only stronger, but valuable assets for education. Finally, GSD struggles within places of learning are framed as a refusal of the contingent hospitality that is offered to queer people by the straight world, as Sara Ahmed articulates. The paper concludes by positing that joyful readings of unhappy histories and presents are needed as part of the canon of GSD educator research.