Spilling T(ruths) as Queer Resistance: A Counterstorytelling of a Secondary Science Teacher
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| Title: | Spilling T(ruths) as Queer Resistance: A Counterstorytelling of a Secondary Science Teacher |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Khanh Q. Tran (ORCID |
| Source: | Science Education. 2026 110(4):1169-1186. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Science Education, LGBTQ People, Science Teachers, High School Teachers, Indigenous Knowledge, Minority Group Teachers, Biology, Self Concept, Social Justice |
| DOI: | 10.1002/sce.70052 |
| ISSN: | 0036-8326 1098-237X |
| Abstract: | Science education continues to be shaped by cis-heteronormative and Eurocentric norms that constrain how knowledge, identity, and legitimacy are constructed in classrooms. In this narrative inquiry case study, I collaborated with a trans and gender-nonconforming high school biology teacher, Teacher Mateo, to examine how queer and Indigenous ways of knowing can disrupt these settled expectations. Grounded in queer theory and counterstorytelling, I conceptualize Spilling T as a method rooted in Black queer and trans cultural traditions, both a methodology and a praxis that centers relational, embodied, and community-based knowledge. Through co-constructed counterstories and iterative Spilling T sessions, two narrative threads were developed: (1) the revitalization of Indigenous identity as a foundation for relational and multiepistemological biology teaching, and (2) the cultivation of genderqueer identity to challenge binary logics and affirm queerness as inherent in nature. Findings illustrate how Teacher Mateo resists biological essentialism, humanizes LGBTQ+ identities, and distinguishes science epistemology from Indigenous and queer worldviews. This study positions Spilling T as a transformative counterstorytelling method for reimagining science education as a space of resistance, reclamation, and queer rightful presence. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508547 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Science education continues to be shaped by cis-heteronormative and Eurocentric norms that constrain how knowledge, identity, and legitimacy are constructed in classrooms. In this narrative inquiry case study, I collaborated with a trans and gender-nonconforming high school biology teacher, Teacher Mateo, to examine how queer and Indigenous ways of knowing can disrupt these settled expectations. Grounded in queer theory and counterstorytelling, I conceptualize Spilling T as a method rooted in Black queer and trans cultural traditions, both a methodology and a praxis that centers relational, embodied, and community-based knowledge. Through co-constructed counterstories and iterative Spilling T sessions, two narrative threads were developed: (1) the revitalization of Indigenous identity as a foundation for relational and multiepistemological biology teaching, and (2) the cultivation of genderqueer identity to challenge binary logics and affirm queerness as inherent in nature. Findings illustrate how Teacher Mateo resists biological essentialism, humanizes LGBTQ+ identities, and distinguishes science epistemology from Indigenous and queer worldviews. This study positions Spilling T as a transformative counterstorytelling method for reimagining science education as a space of resistance, reclamation, and queer rightful presence. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0036-8326 1098-237X |
| DOI: | 10.1002/sce.70052 |
