Beyond The Bathroom: Systemic Barriers To Trans Student Success,
2026
Johns Hopkins University
Beyond The Bathroom: Systemic Barriers To Trans Student Success, Andrew Leclair
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
At the intersection of educational inequity and systemic marginalization, transgender youth face some of their greatest obstacles upon walking through the schoolhouse door—ranging from legislative attacks and gender negation to denied facility access and pervasive bullying. In rural K-12 public schools—where populations are often smaller, more demographically homogenous, and vie for more socially conservative policies—trans youth are particularly vulnerable. Within this context, this piece centers the experiences of transgender students in rural K-12 public schools—highlighting the sociocultural dynamics and systemic barriers that continue to marginalize them within the United States education system today. Through a blend of literature synthesis and …
"What Are They Going To Do? Fire Me?" The Paradoxical Empowerment Of Nonbinary Teachers In Rural South Carolina,
2026
Coastal Carolina University
"What Are They Going To Do? Fire Me?" The Paradoxical Empowerment Of Nonbinary Teachers In Rural South Carolina, Chris Cyan Divens, Jonathan M. Coker
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
Nonbinary teachers are seldom the focus of teacher studies, particularly in challenging places such as the rural Southeastern United States. Through a critical ethnographic case study, we explored the stories of two nonbinary teachers who grew up and worked in rural South Carolina. We examined their cultural contexts, including legislative factors, school policies, and school cultures, and we highlighted how these systems created a hostile environment for queer and trans* individuals. Our participants shared how their lived experiences as queer and gender-diverse individuals provided them with an insider perspective about rural South Carolina culture and its limitations. We also found …
Sissies At The Cafeteria Table: Toward A Queer Black-Town Sense Of Place, Education And Life,
2026
California State University, Los Angeles
Sissies At The Cafeteria Table: Toward A Queer Black-Town Sense Of Place, Education And Life, Ezekiel Joubert Iii
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
Contemporary research has shown rural communities to be places with diverse identities and ideologies, disrupting much of the mainstream images of rural spaces as isolated, White, monocultural, and conservative. However, the persistent tendency to imagine racial inequality and queer life as urban contributes to the invisibility of intersectional struggle. Drawing from Critical Pedagogy, Black geographies, Black Queer Studies, and Mobility Studies, this study examines the collective educational experience and storytelling of Black rural queers in a Metro-Rural community in the Upper Midwest. Using an autogeographic approach, building from auto-ethnography and archival praxis reveal how the spatial structures that reproduce educational …
Queer Methods And Rural Education: Studying The Foxfire Program,
2026
Wilmington College
Queer Methods And Rural Education: Studying The Foxfire Program, Brooke Boling
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
During the summer of 2023, I conducted a study in rural Rabun County, Georgia, with a cohort of high school students as they worked to create a magazine focused on Appalachian culture. The magazine, known as Foxfire, has been published since 1966 by rural high school students who were led by writing teachers. In its heyday, the Foxfire Magazine was seen as a bastion of critical education, as its teachers and founder implemented Deweyan pedagogy and asked students to critically reflect on issues of rural Southern Appalachian culture in their writing. The Foxfire Magazine was wildly successful, resulting in a …
Reading About Gender Identity In A Rural Community: Discourse Around Young Adult Literature And Social Justice,
2026
Virginia Commonwealth University
Reading About Gender Identity In A Rural Community: Discourse Around Young Adult Literature And Social Justice, Ashley S. Boyd, Rachael R. Wolney
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
This study explores how a rural adult book club engaged with gender identity through young adult literature (YAL), focusing on Mason Deaver’s I Wish You All the Best. Facilitated by two teacher educators, the club brought together local residents and a guest speaker from a regional support organization to discuss gender, pronouns, and the experiences of nonbinary youth. Using critical discourse analysis and thematic coding, the authors examine how participants, cisgender adults, navigated unfamiliar concepts, reflected on their own beliefs, and considered implications for their personal and professional lives. Findings highlight the power of YAL to serve as a …
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Personifying The South In Rural Queer Collegians’ Stories,
2026
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Personifying The South In Rural Queer Collegians’ Stories, Miranda N. Rutan, Leia K. Cain
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
In this study, we explore the complex interplay between queer identity and Southern cultural narratives among rural college students in the U.S. Bible Belt. We integrated narrative inquiry and arts-based research to examine how participants personify the South within their own stories, revealing nuanced understandings of belonging and identity. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant-created artwork, and discussions about these artworks. Our findings illustrate a dynamic representation of the South as both a source of support and a site of conflict, highlighting the dual roles of community and marginalization in shaping rural queer Southern identities. This research contributes to …
Queer Kids In The Country: Challenges, Resources, And Queer Cultural Capital Of Rural Lgbtqia+ Youth,
2026
University of Minnesota - Morris
Queer Kids In The Country: Challenges, Resources, And Queer Cultural Capital Of Rural Lgbtqia+ Youth, Michelle L. Page
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
This qualitative study investigates the experiences of rural youth who identify as LGBTQIA+. Both rural young people and LGBTQIA+ youth are less likely to pursue higher education and more likely to report negative experiences in their schools and communities. Rural LGBTQIA+ youth face different challenges than do urban and suburban queer youth; therefore, different resources and strategies must be unveiled, developed, and employed in an effort to support rural LGBTQIA+ young people. This study explicates the challenges and assets of rural queer youth, finding that such young people continue to experience challenges in their schools and communities, particularly around identity …
Beyond The City Limits: Representations Of Rurality And Lgbtqia+ Youth In Young Adult Literature,
2026
University of Minnesota - Morris
Beyond The City Limits: Representations Of Rurality And Lgbtqia+ Youth In Young Adult Literature, Michelle L. Page
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
Narratives of flight from rural to urban areas predominate in research related to LGBTQIA+ communities. Thus, rural LGBTQIA+ young people rarely see representations of themselves or their environments, especially positive portrayals. Such representations are important in that they are productive of identities, not just reflective of them. This study examines a collection of young adult literature with LGBTQIA characters and rural settings, analyzing the portrayals of place (rurality) and identity (LGBTQIA+). In this paper I will demonstrate how current LGBTQIA+ young adult literature reinforces dominant narratives that privilege urbanity and I assert that counternarratives to the rural flight story are …
Rural Geographies, Queer Youth And Metronormativity,
2026
University of Manitoba
Rural Geographies, Queer Youth And Metronormativity, Fenton Litwiller
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
In 1995 Weston articulated an oft recited story where queers move from persecutory rural geographies to the more accepting city. While Weston interrogated this spatial binary and demonstrated failed promise of the metropolis to deliver, particularly across intersections of gender, the urban flight narrative persists. Jack Halberstam (2005) used the term ‘metronormativity’ to illustrate the power of this narrative that influences a research focus on urban queers. This study contributes insights on how queer youth who live in remote Canadian geographies navigate and express gender and sexuality. Eight participants (12 – 24) attended an informal educational space, a genderplay workshop, …
Queer Of Color Critique And The Politics Of Epistemic Agency: Rural Educators Desettling Curricular Expectations,
2026
Arizona State University
Queer Of Color Critique And The Politics Of Epistemic Agency: Rural Educators Desettling Curricular Expectations, C.A. Langerud, Madelaine Adelman, Daniel D. Liou
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
The purpose of this research is to use queer of color critique (QOCC) as an analytical framework to explore rural K-12 educators’ epistemic agency. The research focuses on educators’ engagement with a national initiative by an advocacy organization to distribute LGBTQ+ and racially diverse books to K-12 schools. The analysis centers on the educators’ praxis of epistemic agency against settled expectations associated with including queer and trans People of Color’s (QTPOC’s) stories in their schools. Our findings on educators’ epistemic agency center on three areas of knowledge and activity. First, educators demonstrate their ability to be aware of their local …
“I’Ve Already Invested So Much Time, Effort, And Money Into This, So I Stay For Me”: A Case Study Of Paulina A First-Generation Trans Latina Rural Community College Student,
2026
California State University, Fresno
“I’Ve Already Invested So Much Time, Effort, And Money Into This, So I Stay For Me”: A Case Study Of Paulina A First-Generation Trans Latina Rural Community College Student, Ángel De Jesus Gonzalez
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
While research continues to emerge on queer and/or trans (QT) experiences in higher-education, a paucity remains on the nuanced realities of those who exist at the intersections of identities, institutional, and regional contexts. Guided by jotería identity-and-consciousness, this intrinsic case study focuses on Paulina, a first-generation trans Latina rural community college student via queer pláticas. She informs ways that trans Latina students in rural community colleges exists and resists hostile ecological educational environments and in doing so generate queer futurities of rurality. Paulina’s jota-historia disrupts notions of QTs communities presence in rural spaces, rural spaces as synonymous with white, …
Rotating Along The Borderlands: Contextualizing Border Rurality Among Queer Transfronterizxs College Students,
2026
University of California, Santa Barbara
Rotating Along The Borderlands: Contextualizing Border Rurality Among Queer Transfronterizxs College Students, Carlos A. Fitch
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
Queer Transfronterizx students at rural higher education institutions experience an array of systemic and racialized inequities related to Queerphobia, residential nativism, and immigration challenges. Through a Critical Race Feminista Methodology (CRFM), seven Queer Transfronterizx college students engaged in testimonios and a Queer plática to shed light into the navigation of their rural higher education contexts and lived experiences. The findings note the collaborators’ experience of (1) endangered educational oases, (2) the dual identity isolation pertaining to Queer and Latinx belongings, (3) transborder hypervigilance emerged from border- crossings practices, and (4) a rural border flexibility that provides Queer privileges. Recommendations for …
A Trans Youth’S Encounters With Queerness In Puerto Rico,
2026
Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus
A Trans Youth’S Encounters With Queerness In Puerto Rico, Gabriel T. Acevedo
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
This article explores the lived experiences of Pedro, a transgender youth from rural Puerto Rico, to examine how queer and trans identities are negotiated within contexts shaped by colonialism, Catholic traditions, machismo, and rural community life. Drawing on queer theory, Latinx studies, rural education research, and narrative inquiry, the study highlights Pedro’s voice through interviews, self-narratives, and reflections, positioning youth as knowledge creators rather than passive subjects. Findings reveal three interconnected themes: (1) the importance of educational relationships in fostering belonging and dialogue, (2) the disruption of normative expectations around adolescence, queerness, and urban migration, and (3) the expression of …
Introduction: Queering Rural Education,
2026
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Introduction: Queering Rural Education, Leia K. Cain, Ty Mcnamee, Darris Means
Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education
In this editorial introduction, we situate this dual-journal special issue within the current legislative landscape targeting queer and trans people across North America in rural communities. We describe our collaboration with the editorial teams of the Journal of Research in Rural Education and the Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education to illuminate the experiences and perspectives of queer youth and adults in and from rural spaces. We then introduce the articles published in JQTSiE, which are organized into four interrelated themes: (1) Embodied Pedagogies and Spatial Navigation, (2) Institutional Structures and Resistance, (3) Community, Literacy, and Representation, …
Writing From The Rift: Queer Temporality And The Refusal Of Resolution,
2026
Rhode Island School of Design
Writing From The Rift: Queer Temporality And The Refusal Of Resolution, Daniela Ruiz Perez
Masters Theses
This thesis develops a phenomenological method for reading speculative literature as a site where queer ecological temporality is experienced rather than explained. Working with Annihilation (2014) by Jeff VanderMeer, The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham, and Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals (2020) by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, the project treats reading as a bodily practice shaped by forms of attention. Texts are not interpreted for stable meaning and instead I remain with moments where resolution is withheld. The work is informed by a Marxist attention to how capitalist time organizes labor, productivity, and value, and how …
A Review Of Alberto Toscano’S Late Fascism,
2026
Simon Fraser University
A Review Of Alberto Toscano’S Late Fascism, Clint Burnham
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
No abstract provided.
A Review Of Zahi Zalloua's The Politics Of The Wretched: Race, Reason, And Ressentiment,
2026
Texas A&M University
A Review Of Zahi Zalloua's The Politics Of The Wretched: Race, Reason, And Ressentiment, Benjamin Davis
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
No abstract provided.
Exploring Chinese Elements In J.D. Salinger’S Works: A Response To Mccarthyism In The Early Cold War Era,
2026
Shanghai University
Exploring Chinese Elements In J.D. Salinger’S Works: A Response To Mccarthyism In The Early Cold War Era, Yixin Lu
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
Since the publication of “The Laughing Man” in 1949, various ideas about “China” have emerged in J. D. Salinger’s famously obscure works. This article aims to argue that Salinger’s incorporation of elements related to China and ancient Chinese philosophy in his works illustrates an artistic response to American anxieties during the McCarthy Era. The article uses “The Laughing Man” and “De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period” as case studies to demonstrate how Salinger’s engagement with “China,” including the concept of indiscrimination from Zen Buddhist ideas, as well as notions of naturalness and non-action from Taoist ideas, develops not only a mystical writing …
Ginsberg’S China Experience And Its Influence On His Series Of Poems On China,
2026
Southwest Jiaotong University
Ginsberg’S China Experience And Its Influence On His Series Of Poems On China, Xiankai Ren
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
As a renowned poet and representative of the Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg was invited to be a member of the US Writers’ Delegation to visit China in 1984. His China trip as well as his reading of traditional Chinese literature constitute his China experience, which is represented in Ginsberg’s poetry. This essay examines Ginsberg’s series of poems on China. It first shows that Ginsberg’s introduction to the Beat Generation poets and their poetics provided the inspiration for his poetry writing. Then it discusses Ginsberg’s observation of Chinese society during his visit and his reading of the Chinese poet Bai Juyi. …
Cyborg Feminism And Toxic Colonialism In Chen Qiufan’S Waste Tide,
2026
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
Cyborg Feminism And Toxic Colonialism In Chen Qiufan’S Waste Tide, Yuan Yuan
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
The article probes into the interrelationships among cyborg technology, sexual violence, and toxic colonialism represented in the Chinese SF novel Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan. It applies methodologies in posthumanism and ecofeminism and situates the text in the Chinese as well as a global context. It intends to provide a non-Western perspective to understand cyborg feminism by associating the Chinese historical reality with trans-species thinking. It argues that the SF author Chen Qiufan is critical about the anthropogenic body modifications which may challenge the process of female resistance and resilience in the face of gender and colonial oppression. By doing …
