Queering Education: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Teaching, Queer Pedagogy, and Real Classroom Practice

Queering Education: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Teaching, Queer Pedagogy, and Real Classroom Practice

Queering Education is a Teaching While Queer podcast about LGBTQ inclusive teaching, queer pedagogy, and building authentic, affirming classrooms. Hosted by Bryan Stanton, the show offers practical strategies for educators navigating real challenges in today’s classrooms—connecting theory to practice through conversations, storytelling, and actionable tools.. Each episode centers the lived experiences of queer educators and how they show up for their students, even in systems that weren’t built for them. Whether you’re a K–12 teacher, higher education faculty member, or school leader, you’ll find actionable ways to create affirming learning environments for LGBTQ students and beyond. Through solo episodes and conversations with educators, researchers, and advocates, Queering Education connects theory to practice—covering topics like queer curriculum, equity in education, classroom culture, and navigating policy and resistance in schools. If you’re asking: How do I support LGBTQ students right now? What does inclusive teaching actually look like in practice? How do I show up authentically as an educator? You’re in the right place. This is Queering Education, a Teaching While Queer podcast.

Episodes

June 11, 2026 47 mins

What does it mean to be the teacher you needed when you were young? In this episode of Queering Education, Bryan Stanton talks with educator and author Joe Chianakas about LGBTQ inclusive teaching, queer visibility, and why representation remains essential in both K–12 and higher education.

Drawing on more than 25 years in education, Joe reflects on his journey from a closeted high school teacher to an openly queer professor. ...

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When we talk about LGBTQ inclusive teaching, many educators assume meaningful support requires a major initiative. Sue Granzella’s story suggests something different: inclusive classrooms are often built through small, visible acts of care, consistency, and courage. In this conversation, we explore queer pedagogy, classroom inclusion, allyship, and what educators can do to better support LGBTQ students and colleagues.

After re...

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Host Bryan Stanton (they/them) sits down with agender educator, sj Miller (none) to discuss ways to support students navigating their identities and socialization. This episode dives into LGBTQ inclusive teaching, queer pedagogy, and the realities of building inclusive classrooms in today’s policy climate. Through lived experience and classroom practice, we explore what it actually means to show up for queer and trans student...

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What does LGBTQ inclusive teaching actually look like in real classrooms—not theory, not policy, but day-to-day practice? This episode explores how queer pedagogy and inclusive teaching show up through kindness, boundaries, and honest conversations with students.

Bryan Stanton sits down with educator Christian Shearhod to talk about what it means to create inclusive classrooms in a time when even basic respect feels politicize...

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What does LGBTQ inclusive teaching actually look like beyond posters and policies? This episode digs into the real work of building inclusive classrooms through queer pedagogy, lived experience, and practical strategies educators can use right now.

Bryan sits down with Shelby Hall Denney from PFLAG NYC’s Safe Schools program to unpack what it means to move from performative allyship to meaningful classroom inclusion. From navi...

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This episode dives into LGBTQ inclusive teaching, queer pedagogy, and what it really means to create inclusive classrooms—not through curriculum alone, but through presence. Featuring trans educator Hill Werth, this conversation explores how identity, visibility, and authenticity shape student experiences in powerful ways.

We get into the realities of teaching while trans, navigating different education systems, and how simply...

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In this episode of Queering Education, Bryan Stanton (they/them) sits down with Emilia (she/her), a graduate teaching assistant and first-year PhD student at the University of California Davis, to talk about discovering your teaching identity while navigating queerness, accessibility, and classroom culture.

Emilia reflects on her journey from the U.S. South to a more affirming academic space, and how that shift shaped her ap...

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In this solo episode, Bryan Stanton (they/them) walks through what inclusive teaching actually looks like when policies feel vague, pressure is real, and every classroom decision carries weight. This isn’t theory—it’s what you can do tomorrow to support students while staying grounded in your professional role.

If you’ve ever found yourself editing your language, second-guessing your curriculum, or wo...

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What if inclusive education isn’t political—or optional—but necessary for learning itself?

In this solo episode, Bryan Stanton (they/them) breaks down what’s actually happening in education right now and reframes inclusion as a core pedagogical issue, not a cultural debate. From Universal Design for Learning to culturally responsive teaching and queer pedagogy, this episode connects theory to real classroom p...

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In this episode of Teaching While Queer, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) sits down with Damon Carbajal (he/el), Director of Chapter Network and Program Integration at Glisten, to talk about the resources available to educators who want to better support LGBTQ+ students.

From lesson plans and GSA support to affirming book programs and national student initiatives, Damon shares how Glisten is evolving to meet the needs of today’s...

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In this episode, host Bryan Stanton talks with Deb Fowler about the work of History UnErased, a nonprofit bringing LGBTQ+ history into K–12 classrooms through primary sources, theater, and creative learning.

Deb shares how their project “The Past Is Always Present” helps students explore LGBTQ+ history through original plays, music, and improv exercises grounded in real historical documents. The result? Students ar...

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In this episode, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) talks with Katherine Bogen (she/her), a sixth-year doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Nebraska. Katherine’s work focuses on bisexual identity, experiences of violence, and how disclosure impacts relationships and healing. She shares what it means to conduct “me-search” that honors queer lived experience—and what it felt like when fed...

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In this powerful conversation, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) speaks with Michael Sadowski about what it means to be an out educator—from coming out in job interviews in the 1990s to researching queer youth, GSAs, and the limits of “safe schools.”

Michael shares his journey from theater to teaching, launching a GSA in Massachusetts, earning his doctorate, and writing extensively about LGBTQ+ youth, identity develop...

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In this solo episode, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) reflects on what it means to teach while queer during a moment of shifting protections, contested policies, and public scrutiny around trans inclusion in schools. As headlines intensify, so does the pressure on LGBTQ+ educators—who often find themselves acting as both teacher and shield.

But this episode isn’t just about turbulence. It’s about momentum. Brian sha...

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In this episode of Teaching While Queer, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) is joined by February Educator of the Month Dr. Clark Ausloos (he/him) for a deeply grounded conversation about the intersection of education, mental health, and queer identity.

Dr. Ausloos shares what it looks like to teach future counselors while navigating political pressure, professional ethics, and the emotional labor of showing up authentically in higher e...

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Live from the Creating Change Conference in Washington, D.C., Bryan sits down with Alejandro, a youth program assistant with Foundation Communities in Austin, Texas. Together, they explore what it means to be an openly gay educator working with immigrant and refugee youth in a state where policy often conflicts with inclusion.

Alejandro shares his path from reluctant teacher to joyful mentor, how his queerness shows up in small but ...

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What does it actually look like to be an out queer educator—and just do your job?

In this episode of Teaching While Queer, host Brian Stanton talks with Danny Walker-Drake, a behavior support manager at a large secondary school in southwest England, about pastoral care, student trust, and why authenticity doesn’t have to be a big announcement. Broadcasting from the Creating Change Conference, this conversation centers re...

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In this episode, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) talks with Julia Lathin (she/her), a lesbian art teacher in Los Angeles, about the evolution of her teaching—from closeted survival in a Michigan Catholic school with a morality clause, to building affirming, creative classrooms for queer youth in California.


Listeners will learn:

  • What it meant to teach under a “morality clause” while hiding key parts of her id...
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When physics and math teacher Rosaline Keane Kelly (she/her) began her teaching journey in Ireland, she didn’t yet know she was trans. Education became the mirror that helped her understand herself—and the space where she learned to lead with authenticity.


In this episode, Rosaline shares what it was like to come out and transition while teaching in a religiously influenced school system, how she now builds inclusive...

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Tyson joins Teaching While Queer to share the deeply personal journey that led him from childhood dreams of teaching, through family rejection and healing, to founding a nonprofit and homeschool program for LGBTQ+ families. His story weaves together resilience, faith, and a fierce commitment to creating the safe, affirming learning spaces he wanted for his own children.


Listeners will learn:

  • How trauma shaped Tyson’s ea...
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