Teaching While Queer: Advocacy, Community, and Resources for LGBTQ+ Educators.

This episode is for educators — especially queer teachers, principals, and school leaders — who care deeply about real inclusion and belonging. Bryan Stanton (they/them) unpacks how well-intentioned “inclusive” classroom practices often end up reinforcing Christian dominance, sidelining Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, and secular families. Together, we’ll examine how public schools perpetuate cultural erasure under the banner of “neutrality,” and what authentic pluralism can look like in action.

You’ll Learn:

• How “inclusive” school traditions often reinforce Christian cultural norms
• Why neutrality isn’t neutral — and how law, culture, and faith intersect in public schools
• What exclusion looks like for Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, and secular students
• How queer educators can model pluralistic inclusion rooted in justice and empathy
• Concrete strategies for creating classrooms that honor all identities and beliefs

Call to Action:

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 For music and performing arts educators striving to create affirming spaces for every student — this episode is for you. Bryan (they/them) sits down with Dr. Justin Caithaml) (they/them), Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Bridgeport, to explore how gender, sexuality, and policy intersect in the music classroom. Together, they unpack how queer educators can balance authenticity, safety, and advocacy — both for themselves and their students.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to design inclusive classroom “policies” — from pronouns to physical space to performance practices
• Why separating imagined harm from actual harm matters for LGBTQ+ policy decisions
• Ways administrators can better protect and empower queer educators
• How music and theatre can model gender expansiveness and disrupt harmful binaries
• Why “being bold” and visible creates space for the next generation of queer educators
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About Our Guest:

🎵 Dr. Justin Caithaml (they/them) is an Assistant Professor of Music & Music Education at the University of Bridgeport. A nonbinary and bisexual scholar, their research explores the intersections of gender, sexuality, discourse, and policy in music education. Their work advocates for affirming practices that allow both teachers and students to thrive authentically within educational systems.

Listen & Connect:

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This episode is for teachers, school leaders, and DEI facilitators who want to create more inclusive classrooms while navigating fear, burnout, and systemic bias. Bryan (they/them) talks with Sean McGill (he/him) — a Chicago-based educator, anti-bias facilitator, and doctoral researcher — about what it means to teach, train, and show up authentically as a queer man across classrooms, police academies, and digital spaces.

Listeners will learn how to:

• Interrupt bias in real time — even when you don’t know exactly what to say
• Model queer authenticity safely in K–12 and adult learning environments
• Build plans for bias response before harm happens
• Teach digital media literacy to help students recognize online hate and misinformation
• Balance vulnerability, safety, and advocacy in conservative or high-stakes contexts

Sean also shares insights from his upcoming dissertation on inclusive education and how his fourth-grade classroom became a model for age-appropriate queer visibility.

Key Takeaways

• Silence is complicity. When bias shows up, saying something matters more than saying it perfectly.
• Representation saves energy. Being visibly queer in education helps students imagine new possibilities for themselves.
• Digital literacy is bias literacy. Our media habits shape our worldviews and fuel polarization.
• Bias management > bias elimination. Awareness and response are the skills we must actually teach.
• Bravery is a muscle. The more we lean into discomfort, the stronger our justice practice becomes.

About Our Guest

Sean McGill (he/him) is a Chicago-based educator, facilitator, and doctoral candidate in Curriculum, Advocacy, and Policy at National Louis University. A former Chicago Public Schools teacher, Sean has spent over a decade leading anti-bias and digital literacy workshops for students, educators, and law enforcement nationwide. His work centers inclusive education, identity visibility, and the power of conversation to interrupt systemic harm.

This episode is for school librarians, elementary educators, and district leaders who want to create truly inclusive and affirming library spaces—without fear or burnout. Bryan (they/them) sits down with Bec Anderson (they/them), a nonbinary librarian from Kansas, to talk about what “Reading the Rainbow” really means, how librarians can push back against book bans, and why visibility matters in small communities.

Key Takeaways:

• How to build a library collection that mirrors your students’ lived experiences
• Practical ways to make queer and diverse representation visible in subtle, safe ways
• The power of book choice as a pathway to empathy and lifelong learning
• How administrators can support librarians during book bans and budget cuts
• Why inclusive books benefit all students, not just marginalized ones

About Our Guest:

Bec Anderson (they/them) is a Title I school librarian in central Kansas with seven years of experience in education. Formerly a fourth-grade teacher, Bec now leads the “Reading the Rainbow” initiative—helping librarians and teachers ensure their collections reflect the full spectrum of student identities. They’re currently pursuing a master’s in Library Science and advocate fiercely for inclusive, student-centered literacy practices.

Resources & Links:

What does real allyship look like when the stakes are high? In this powerful episode, Bryan (they/them/elle) talks with Françoise Thenoux (she/ella) — also known as @TheWokeSpanishTeacher — about how educators can move from performative allyship to courageous co-conspiracy through inclusive, non-binary Spanish language and classroom practices.

🌈 You’ll hear:

• How non-binary and gender-neutral Spanish is reshaping classrooms across the Americas
• Why true allyship requires risk, courage, and community
• Practical steps for educators to create linguistically and queer-affirming spaces
• The story of one student who changed Françoise’s entire approach to teaching

This episode is for allies, language teachers, and anyone working to make schools more inclusive for LGBTQ+ students and educators.

👉 Subscribe, review, and visit teachingwhilequeer.org or follow @TeachingWhileQueer for more inspiring stories.