School Teachers, Researchers and Education Staff Who Identify as LGBTQ

The world's youth represent the opportunity for our future. As the next generation, they offer change to a more diverse, tolerant and peaceful world. The education system is an important component to shaping our youth and presenting the values that they will adopt throughout their life. It is relevant, then, that there are LGBTQ leaders within the education system at this level who actively participate in the education process of our youth.

This was not lost on the earliest societies in history. The Greeks, for example, accepted this tenet of inter-generational knowledge and skills transfer. LGBTQ individuals such as Aristotle, Plato and Socrates placed great emphasis on their schooling efforts and methods of teaching. Our indigenous communities in settled countries place great value in the transfer of knowledge from generation to generation as a means of impacting human activity.

This impact can come from many fronts. The teachers themselves are perhaps central to the process. There are also the school board trustees, the volunteers and community activists, the researchers, and the politicians at all levels of government.

Over the past few years, much of this activity has been centered on anti-bullying and course-content inclusion. On the former, the creation of Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs and the Safe Space Campaign are two good examples. On the latter, many books are now available as teaching manuals for LGBTQ and diversity training and inclusion.

We have identified the following LGBTQ individuals who are school teachers, active in schooling research, or involved in school education programs. Just click on their names to read their fascinating biographies.

Australia