168. Beyond Safe Spaces Reclaiming Queer Identity and Power in Education

“I’m a queer educator who teaches queerly about queer stuff—everything is queer-focused for me.”

How do you bring your whole queer self into teaching when schools still expect you to hide? In this episode, Maya Gonzalez—pioneering queer children’s book author and creator of the Gender Wheel—reveals what it means to be deeply, unapologetically queer as an educator. Drawing from decades of living and teaching in the LGBTQ+ community, Maya shares hard-won wisdom on somatic presence, surviving conservative pushback, and healing queer children through creative courage and authenticity.

If you’re a queer teacher or LGBTQ+ educator wondering how to survive, thrive, and heal in education—this is your episode.

• Learn how to “queer the classroom” without compromise, from elementary to university settings
• Discover practical strategies to protect your spirit, build bridges, and confront anti-LGBTQ+ hostility
• Feel seen in stories about queer visibility, burnout, resilience, and building true queer community in education

This is more than survival—it’s about changing the story. Take the first step in reclaiming queer visibility and pride in schools.

Tap play to restore your strength.

Support the podcast and spread the message with merch from Equalitees.Me! Explore Maya's work and learn more about The Gender Wheel.

This podcast explores the challenges and successes of queer representation in education, tackling topics like burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the role of advocacy in building inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies. It centers support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, agender, two-spirit, and non-binary teachers, and addresses how gender identity in schools can be honored to combat isolation and foster community.

The podcast explores the challenges and successes of Queer representation in education, addressing issues such as burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the importance of advocacy in creating inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies, with a focus on supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, agender, two-spirit, and non-binary teachers and gender identity in schools to combat the feeling of isolation and lack of community.

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