What does it look like to keep doing queer and trans work in education when funding is disappearing, scholars are feeling pressure to hide what they study, and institutions are starting to pull back?

Matt Brim joins me to talk about queer studies, higher education, and the work of creating space for LGBTQ+ research and scholarship. Matt is a professor of queer studies at the College of Staten Island and the executive director of CLAGS, the Center for LGBTQ Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center. 

We talk about how Matt found his way from American literature and James Baldwin into queer studies, what the academic job market actually looks like, and why unionized higher education has made such a difference in his own career.

We also get into the work CLAGS is doing to support emerging scholars through conferences, fellowships, research opportunities, and its advanced certificate in LGBTQ studies. And, because this is the reality right now, we talk about funding cuts, pressure on queer and trans research, and how educators and organizations can keep building community without pretending there is one right way to respond.

In this conversation:

•  How Matt found his way into queer studies 
•  The reality of the tenure-track academic job market 
•  How CLAGS supports LGBTQ+ research and emerging scholars 
•  What funding cuts are doing to queer organizations and researchers 
•  Why collaboration and small donations matter 
•  How educators can stay connected while making choices that fit their own circumstances 

If you’re an educator trying to figure out how to keep doing meaningful work while also thinking about safety, visibility, and community, this conversation is for you.

Listen to the full episode of Queering Education and share it with someone who should be part of the conversation.

Support the show

Queering 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