Muddying the Boundary Waters: Examining a Gay Novice Teacher’s Attempts to Support a Transgender Student

Abstract

For preservice LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) teachers, little is known about their transition from teachers-in-training to professional educators. Understanding their experiences may hold keys to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, as well as supporting K-12 students. Rooted in queer theory and subjectivities, this critical narratological study examines a White, gay, novice high school teacher and the stories of his interactions with a White, transgender student, who was part of LGBTQ+ affinity space the participant co-sponsored. Findings demonstrate how social contexts and systems, in combination with the novice teacher’s emerging and morphing perception of professional responsibilities and boundaries were sources of consternation. Often, the participant’s attempts to circumvent, ignore, and/or thwart heteronormative assumptions and practices within the school’s environment related his sense of agency. In turn, this greatly affected much of the teacher’s subjectivities regarding student–teacher relationships. Implications highlight the important role of accompliceship and/or co-conspirators in teacher education programs and schools.