Queer Girls in Class - (Counterpoints) by Lori Horvitz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Queer Girls in Class: . is a compilation of personal essays by lesbian teachers and students who speak about sexual identity and its influence on the teaching and learning process. The mission of this anthology is to provide, through personal stories, an analysis of how sexuality - specifically, how identifying as a queer woman - can affect classroom dynamics in high school and university settings. Despite a perceived cultural acceptance of the GLBTQ community in the media, many gays and lesbians still suffer from their own internalized homophobia, as well as the homophobia of the outside world. These twenty-six essays give readers the opportunity to recognize, connect with, and critically think about the personal and political challenges and triumphs that queer women, whether out of the closet or not, have experienced in the classroom and beyond.

Review Quotes

Move over 'Mädchen in Uniform'! This collection takes us inside the classroom and offers wit, pathos, and wisdom from a diverse group of 'queer girls' who get schooled there. Find answers to the questions that don't show up on any standardized tests: What's behind the teacher's enigmatic looks? Who's that girl over in the back row by the window? Am I the only one? A brave and smart book, filled with invaluable lessons for life. (Audrey Bilger, Faculty Director of the Writing Center and Associate Professor of Literature, Claremont McKenna College)
Myriad voices tumble across the pages of this collection. From urban high school teachers, to lone lesbians in rural counties, to Queer Studies professors at elite colleges, these stories testify to the courage, uncertainties and risks lesbian and bisexual educators face as they find ways to teach openly (to varying degrees) in the classroom. For all of us who have known that woman, been that woman, or hoped to someday become her, this is a worthwhile read. (Nancy Wadsworth, Queer Faculty Alliance Chair and Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Denver)
The contributors to 'Queer Girls in Class' demonstrate that just because there may be queer content in the course curriculum does not mean it's easy for actual queer women - teachers or students - to thrive in the classroom. Decades after the first gender studies classes appeared in universities, the essays in this cogent collection prove there's still a lot of work to do. Many of the contributors offer helpful and insightful strategies for combating homophobia, whether it comes from other students, the faculty, or the administration and approaches that might be applied to any setting in which people of different backgrounds and belief systems interact. (Terry Wolverton, author, 'Insurgent Muse: Life and Art at the Woman's Building')

About the Author

Lori Horvitz' short stories, poetry, and creative nonfiction have appeared in a variety of literary journals and anthologies including Southeast Review, Hotel Amerika, Thirteenth Moon and Quarter After Eight. The recipient of an MFA in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College, and a PhD in English from SUNY Albany, she has been awarded writing fellowships from Yaddo, Ragdale, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Blue Mountain Center, Cottages at Hedgebrook, and Fundación Valparaiso. She is Associate Professor of Literature and Language at UNC-Asheville, where she teaches courses in creative writing, literature and women's studies.