Reflecting on 'Coming Out' in the Classroom

In this paper, two scholars (one retiring, one emerging) consider what it means for LGBTQ teachers to 'come out' in the classroom. Drawing from our respective studies (one a study of 18 lesbian teachers conducted in the early 1980s, the other a study of 16 gender non-binary teachers in 2018), the intervening literature, and our own personal experiences, we reflect on the changing meaning of 'coming out' over time. To consider the shifting personal and pedagogical stakes that classroom disclosures of queerness or transness evoke, we revisit an essay from several decades ago on the topic of coming out in class.