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“'Cause I'm a G”: Identity Work of a Lesbian Teen in Language Arts
Author(s) -
Vetter Amy M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of adolescent and adult literacy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1936-2706
pISSN - 1081-3004
DOI - 10.1598/jaal.54.2.2
Subject(s) - lesbian , sexual identity , pedagogy , identity (music) , literacy , curriculum , sociology , language arts , pseudonym , relation (database) , human sexuality , the arts , psychology , gender studies , mathematics education , visual arts , art , physics , database , political science , acoustics , computer science , law
Framed around the perspective that identities matter in relation to literacy learning, this case study examined the identity work of June (pseudonym), a lesbian youth in an 11th‐grade high school language arts classroom. Informal interviews with June about her work on a multigenre research project in relation to LGBTQ issues were analyzed using the constant‐comparative method and discourse analysis. Findings indicate that she positioned herself as a reader and writer in new ways because of an assignment that provided her the opportunity to explore her sexuality. I propose that teachers consider making youth's experiences, including LGBTQ experiences, the centerpiece of literacy instruction. More work, however, needs to be done to explore how educators can create curricula and school communities that recognize and celebrate sexual identities as a part of literacy learning.