In this powerful conversation, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) speaks with Michael Sadowski about what it means to be an out educator—from coming out in job interviews in the 1990s to researching queer youth, GSAs, and the limits of “safe schools.”

Michael shares his journey from theater to teaching, launching a GSA in Massachusetts, earning his doctorate, and writing extensively about LGBTQ+ youth, identity development, and education. Together, they explore what’s changed for queer students and educators, what hasn’t, and why “safe” simply isn’t enough anymore.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What it looked like to be out in a teaching interview in the 1990s
• Why the “Safe Schools” model sets the bar too low
• How queer educators can approach authenticity strategically
• What’s shifting among students—even amid hostile policy climates
• Why simply showing up in the building can be a powerful act

If this episode resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another educator who needs the reminder: your presence matters.

Connect with Dr. Sadowski at his website https://michaelsadowski.net/.

Teaching While Queer is a 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

In this solo episode, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) reflects on what it means to teach while queer during a moment of shifting protections, contested policies, and public scrutiny around trans inclusion in schools. As headlines intensify, so does the pressure on LGBTQ+ educators—who often find themselves acting as both teacher and shield.

But this episode isn’t just about turbulence. It’s about momentum. Brian shares why they believe queer educators are on the precipice of something powerful: deeper collaboration, stronger networks, and community-built change. This conversation is a reminder that survival is not the end goal—collective action and connection are.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why today’s policy debates show up directly in your classroom
• The emotional toll of being both educator and protector
• How isolation makes hostile climates heavier—and how to interrupt it
• What “strategic hope” looks like in real time
• A new way to build collective support beyond your school walls

If this episode resonates with you, share it with a colleague, leave a review, and help more queer educators find a space where they feel seen and supported.

Teaching While Queer is a 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

In this episode of Teaching While Queer, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) is joined by February Educator of the Month Dr. Clark Ausloos (he/him) for a deeply grounded conversation about the intersection of education, mental health, and queer identity.

Dr. Ausloos shares what it looks like to teach future counselors while navigating political pressure, professional ethics, and the emotional labor of showing up authentically in higher education. Together, Bryan and Clark unpack belonging versus boundaries, privilege and risk, and why small moments of care can matter more than grand gestures.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How queerness shows up in teaching and counselor education
• Navigating boundaries, safety, and self-disclosure in classrooms
• Ethical conflicts educators face under hostile policy climates
• The emotional toll of mental health work—and how to sustain yourself
• Why small, everyday moments can be life-changing for students

If this episode resonates, consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with another educator who might need it.

Teaching While Queer is a 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

Live from the Creating Change Conference in Washington, D.C., Bryan sits down with Alejandro, a youth program assistant with Foundation Communities in Austin, Texas. Together, they explore what it means to be an openly gay educator working with immigrant and refugee youth in a state where policy often conflicts with inclusion.

Alejandro shares his path from reluctant teacher to joyful mentor, how his queerness shows up in small but powerful ways, and why community and creativity sustain him—even when the world feels unsafe.

Listeners will learn:

• How Foundation Communities fosters safety and belonging for diverse youth
• What “small acts of queerness” look like in everyday education
• How to navigate fear of being out in conservative regions
• The difference between tolerance and true affirmation at work
• Why queer joy, art, and faith can all coexist

If this conversation resonates with you, follow Teaching While Queer wherever you listen—your review helps more educators find the care and courage they need.

Teaching While Queer is a 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

What does it actually look like to be an out queer educator—and just do your job?

In this episode of Teaching While Queer, host Brian Stanton talks with Danny Walker-Drake, a behavior support manager at a large secondary school in southwest England, about pastoral care, student trust, and why authenticity doesn’t have to be a big announcement. Broadcasting from the Creating Change Conference, this conversation centers relationships, boundaries, humor, and the reality of working with young people as whole humans.

In this episode, listeners will learn:

• How queerness can show up naturally in student relationships without formal disclosure
• Why humor and honesty can de-escalate behavior issues
• How to respond to homophobic language without lecturing
• What “freedom of speech, not freedom from consequence” looks like in practice
• How pastoral roles create space for deeper student trust

If this episode resonated, consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with an educator who needs to hear it.

Teaching While Queer is a 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

In this episode, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) talks with Julia Lathin (she/her), a lesbian art teacher in Los Angeles, about the evolution of her teaching—from closeted survival in a Michigan Catholic school with a morality clause, to building affirming, creative classrooms for queer youth in California.

Listeners will learn:

• What it meant to teach under a “morality clause” while hiding key parts of her identity
• How one small phrase—“pick a better word”—became a lifelong teaching mantra
• Practical ways to create safe, affirming art classrooms
• What happens when admin support is missing—and when you finally find it
• Why queer joy and authenticity are both resistance and renewal

If this conversation resonated with you, subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more educators find Teaching While Queer.

Keywords: boundaries, visibility, faith conflict, policy climate, curriculum censorship, student support, admin conflict, community care, queer joy, burnout, arts classrooms, professional risk, K–12, high school, middle school, arts educator, public school, Catholic/private school, Queer Educators, arts educators, faith, values, and identity, healing, burnout, and sustainability, closeted, questioning at school.

Teaching While Queer is a podcast for LGBTQ+ educators navigating teaching, leadership, and survival in today’s schools. The show explores queer and trans representation in education, educator burnout, book bans, workplace discrimination, tokenism, doxing, and advocacy—while sharing practical strategies for building inclusive classrooms, affirming school cultures, and safer learning environments. Episodes center gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and Two-Spirit educators, with conversations on gender identity in schools, anti-bullying practices, mental health, and community care. This podcast supports educators who feel isolated and offers solidarity, tools, and hope for LGBTQ+ teachers working across K–12 and higher education.

Teaching While Queer is a podcast for LGBTQ+ educators navigating teaching, leadership, and survival in today’s schools. The show explores queer and trans representation in education, educator burnout, book bans, workplace discrimination, tokenism, doxing, and advocacy—while sharing practical strategies for building inclusive classrooms, affirming school cultures, and safer learning environments. Episodes center gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and Two-Spirit educators, with conversations on gender identity in schools, anti-bullying practices, mental health, and community care. This podcast support

Teaching While Queer is a 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

When physics and math teacher Rosaline Keane Kelly (she/her) began her teaching journey in Ireland, she didn’t yet know she was trans. Education became the mirror that helped her understand herself—and the space where she learned to lead with authenticity.

In this episode, Rosaline shares what it was like to come out and transition while teaching in a religiously influenced school system, how she now builds inclusive science classrooms, and why belonging and laughter matter as much as lesson plans.

Listeners will learn:

• How teaching placement stress and self-discovery intertwined in Rosaline’s transition
• Strategies for modeling inclusivity in science classrooms
• Ways to handle misgendering and the “apology spiral”
• How to build belonging and restorative practice with students
• What trans joy and authenticity look like in daily teaching life

If this conversation supports your work or your heart, subscribe, review, and share Teaching While Queer so others can find us too.

Support the podcast and spread the message with merch from Equalitees.Me!

This podcast explores the challenges and successes of queer representation in education, tackling topics like burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the role of advocacy in building inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies. It centers support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, agender, two-spirit, and non-binary teachers, and addresses how gender identity in schools can be honored to combat isolation and foster community.

Teaching While Queer is a podcast for LGBTQ+ educators navigating teaching, leadership, and survival in today’s schools. The show explores queer and trans representation in education, educator burnout, book bans, workplace discrimination, tokenism, doxing, and advocacy—while sharing practical strategies for building inclusive classrooms, affirming school cultures, and safer learning environments. Episodes center gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and Two-Spirit educators, with conversations on gender identity in schools, anti-bullying practices, mental health, and community care. This podcast supports educators who feel isolated and offers solidarity, tools, and hope for LGBTQ+ teachers working across K–12 and higher education.

Hosted on Acast. See

Teaching While Queer is a 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

Tyson joins Teaching While Queer to share the deeply personal journey that led him from childhood dreams of teaching, through family rejection and healing, to founding a nonprofit and homeschool program for LGBTQ+ families. His story weaves together resilience, faith, and a fierce commitment to creating the safe, affirming learning spaces he wanted for his own children.

Listeners will learn:

• How trauma shaped Tyson’s early relationship with education
• What inspired his self-help book Courageous Love: A Self-Help Guide for Gay Fathers
• How personal experiences as a gay father led to creating a homeschool academy
• The intersections of faith, healing, and queer leadership
• Practical ways to build belonging when institutions fall short

If this episode moves you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share Teaching While Queer with a colleague who needs community today.

Support the podcast and spread the message with merch from Equalitees.Me!

This podcast explores the challenges and successes of queer representation in education, tackling topics like burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the role of advocacy in building inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies. It centers support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, agender, two-spirit, and non-binary teachers, and addresses how gender identity in schools can be honored to combat isolation and foster community.

Teaching While Queer is a podcast for LGBTQ+ educators navigating teaching, leadership, and survival in today’s schools. The show explores queer and trans representation in education, educator burnout, book bans, workplace discrimination, tokenism, doxing, and advocacy—while sharing practical strategies for building inclusive classrooms, affirming school cultures, and safer learning environments. Episodes center gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and Two-Spirit educators, with conversations on gender identity in schools, anti-bullying practices, mental health, and community care. This podcast supports educators who feel isolated and offers solidarity, tools, and hope for LGBTQ+ teachers working across K–12 and higher education.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat

Teaching While Queer is a 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

In this New Year continuation of the December 25th reflection, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) turns from reflection to direction.

This solo episode names six promises—practices, boundaries, and strategies—for queer educators in 2026, and closes with a powerful New Year’s blessing rooted in the realities of today’s classrooms.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to define success beyond survival.
• Ways to bring queer truth into curriculum safely and meaningfully.
• What sustainable visibility looks like for educators under scrutiny.
• How to interrupt bias and harm in real time.
• Why joy, boundaries, and community are professional practices.
• A closing blessing of hope, protection, and belonging for the year ahead.

If this message resonates, share this episode with one educator who needs it, and leave a review to help Teaching While Queer reach others who teach while surviving and thriving.

Support the podcast and spread the message with merch from Equalitees.Me!

Keywords:

This podcast explores the challenges and successes of queer representation in education, tackling topics like burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the role of advocacy in building inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies. It centers support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, agender, two-spirit, and non-binary teachers, and addresses how gender identity in schools can be honored to combat isolation and foster community.

boundaries, visibility, curriculum, student support, policy climate, joy as resistance, burnout recovery, community care, reflection, identity safety, belonging, professional sustainability, K–12, higher ed, admin, arts educator, Healing, burnout, and sustainability, Newly out at work, Student support & classroom practice, Hostile policy climate / crisis weeks

Teaching While Queer is a podcast for LGBTQ+ educators navigating teaching, leadership, and survival in today’s schools. The show explores queer and trans representation in education, educator burnout, book bans, workplace discrimination, tokenism, doxing, and advocacy—while sharing practical strategies for building inclusive classrooms, affirming school cultures, and safer learning environments. Episodes center gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, agender, and Two-Spirit educators, with conversations on gender identity in schools, anti-bullying pract

Teaching While Queer is a 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

This year, queer educators didn’t just survive — we built something that can outlast the moment. 🌈 In this reflective solo episode, host Bryan Stanton (they/them) revisits the major themes that shaped 2025 for LGBTQ+ teachers: quiet resistance, authentic storytelling, and the radical act of joy. From the Teaching While Queer Educators Conference to episodes that redefined advocacy, Bryan invites listeners to pause, reflect, and name the impact they’ve made — even when no one was watching.

This episode is for every LGBTQ+ educator, school counselor, or ally who needs a reminder that strategy and community—not perfection—are what sustain us.

You’ll learn:

• How “quiet power” became a model for queer resistance in 2025
• Why self-care isn’t enough — and what true institutional support looks like
• The revolutionary lessons from the Teaching While Queer Educators Conference
• How storytelling is strategy, not an afterthought
• Why joy is a professional and political act

About Our Host:

Bryan Stanton (they/them) is the founder and host of Teaching While Queer, an educator, theatre artist, and advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools. Their work centers on helping educators find sustainable, justice-rooted ways to show up fully—without erasing themselves in the process.

Call to Action:

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts

💬 Share this episode with one educator who needs it

🖥️ Visit teachingwhilequeer.org

📱 Follow @TeachingWhileQueer

Keywords: queer educators, LGBTQ teachers, inclusive classrooms, quiet resistance, teacher burnout, queer storytelling, educator community, queer joy in education

Support the podcast and spread the message with merch from Equalitees.Me!

This podcast explores the challenges and successes of queer representation in education, tackling topics like burnout, tokenism, doxing, and the role of advocacy in building inclusive classrooms, safe spaces, and anti-bullying strategies. It centers support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, aromantic, agender, two-spirit, and non-binary teachers, and addresses how gender identity in schools can be honored to combat isolation and foster community.

Teaching While Queer is a 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