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ERIC Number: EJ889451
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jul
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0092-055X
EISSN: N/A
The Pedagogy of (In)Visibility: Two Accounts of Teaching about Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
Miller, Andrea; Lucal, Betsy
Teaching Sociology, v37 n3 p257-268 Jul 2009
As teachers who use both our theoretical (academic) and practical (empirical) knowledge to entice our students to peer outside of the seemingly clear-cut boxes of the two-and-only-two dichotomies of sex, gender, and sexuality, we attempt to problematize not only sexuality categories but also gender categories (specifically, the category "woman"). While "coming out" complicates heterosexuality, it does little to question how non-normative sexual identities continue to be rendered and re-negotiated once sexual identity claims are made or are perceived to have been made. Moreover, as teachers concerned with gendered identities, we find it imperative in both our classroom and other academic settings to make the connection between gendered identities and sexual(ized) identities. For example, if a feminine woman who is married to a man comes out as bisexual, she may disrupt students' assumptions about the lives of bisexual people. The pedagogical effects of such a performance of bisexuality are clear: students can rethink their assumptions about bisexuality. However, if a masculine woman comes out as a lesbian, she may reinforce students' assumptions about the lives of lesbians. The pedagogical effects, therefore, are less clear. These experiences have forced us to rethink how we might continue to eradicate gender and sexuality inequality in the classroom. This has meant that we must deal with the social fact that our bodies embody (in)visibility politics whether we decide to "come-out" to our students and colleagues or if we are intent on "keeping them guessing." (Contains 4 footnotes.)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A