ABSTRACT
LGBTQ and gender diverse high school students 1 experience and participate in various levels of advocacy in school spaces. We use the words “advocate” and “advocacy” as opposed to “activist” and “activism,” which are used in other chapters, to express what students need, as opposed to what teachers need to do. We begin by examining the factors and contexts that influence LGBTQ and gender diverse students’ decisions to come out or not, and we show how our heteronormativity, homophobia, and transphobia contribute to oppressive, hostile educational spaces. Next, we explore the contexts in which LGBTQ and gender diverse youth desire to or are forced to advocate for themselves and their peers. In particular, we examine in what contexts they feel a sense of agency. We discuss this in connection to the lack of adult advocacy they experience, whether due to adults’ intentions or ignorance. To close, we discuss the complexities and power of advocacy by sharing how students talked about the contexts and spaces that empowered and validated their identities. In this, we push for better advocacy for LGBTQ and gender diverse students.
