2: The Importance of Teacher Agency, Queer Pedagogy, and Social Justice

Coda (2023), Gray et al. (2016), and Lin et al. (2020) recognized that queer teachers have historically been victimized and marginalized in society because of their identity and sexuality. As a result, “the lived experiences of many queer-identified teachers in schools remain problematic, uncomfortable, and tension-filled” (Mayo, 2020, p. 32). Although there has been a substantial increase in research focused on queer studies in the context of higher education, more discussion and studies that center on the lives of queer teachers, especially in the context of language teaching, should be considered, particularly when it comes to their identity and agency. This chapter provides an introduction to and definition of essential terms that are utilized throughout the book. These include queer pedagogy, teacher agency, and social justice. These terms are absolutely important when it comes to understanding the dynamics that are at play in the classrooms of queer language teachers. While teacher agency is the ability of the teachers to make decisions in their classroom, social justice is the principle of fairness and equality in resource allocation and societal integration, addressing inequity in systems that prioritize certain social groups based on their position (Bell, 2007). It recognizes and dismantles societal disadvantages like racism, classism, sexism, ableism, and heteronormativity (Dyches & Boyd, 2017). In education, social justice aims to help individuals understand oppression and socialization within oppressive systems, appreciating unique qualities and preferences and challenging hierarchies (Bell, 2007; Dyches & Boyd, 2017).