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 settingsDiscover practical strategies to protect your spirit, build bridges, and confront anti-LGBTQ+ hostilityFeel seen in stories about queer visibility, burnout, resilience, and building true queer community in educationThis 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.Teaching While Queer is a podcast for LGBTQ+ educators navigating teaching, leadership, and survival in today’s schools. The show explores queer and trans representation in education, educator burnout, book bans, workplace discrimination, tokenism, doxing, and advocacy—while sharing practical strategies for building inclusive classrooms, affirming school cultures, and safer learning environments. Episodes center gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and Two-Spirit educators, with conversations on gender identity in schools, anti-bullying practices, mental health, and community care. This podcast supports educators who feel isolated and offers solidarity, tools, and hope for LGBTQ+ teachers working across K–12 and higher education. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.Support the showQueering Education is a Teaching While Queer podcast centering LGBTQ+ educators and the real-world realities of teaching while queer. We explore queer representation in education, including burnout, tokenism, doxing, visibility, boundaries, and advocacy for inclusive classrooms, safe schools, and anti-bullying practices.This podcast supports gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and two-spirit teachers, and addresses how gender identity in schools can be honored to reduce isolation, protect educators, and build community.Support the podcast and spread the message with merch from Equalitees.Me.Follow Teaching While Queer on Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.Keywords: Teaching While Queer, queer educators, LGBTQ teachers, inclusive education, gender identity in schools, safe classrooms, anti-bullying strategies, educator burnout, LGBTQ advocacy, queer visibility in education