Beyond Progress and Marginalization

Over time, two competing narratives have emerged to represent the experiences of LGBTQ youth, emphasizing either significant improvement or continued victimization and marginalization. This volume examines those conflicting narratives as they play out in educational settings, both formal and informal. Particular emphasis is placed on LGBTQ youths own expressions and representations, revealing the extent to which both oppression and opportunity interact to influence their still-emergent identities. Coming of age at the tail end of the culture wars, these young people are situated within layers of influence across family, peers, schools, communities, and media. The simultaneous, fluid contexts of opportunity and oppression that LGBTQ youth negotiate are highlighted throughout this book in the youths own words, which often reveal a level of epistemological complexity that their elders would be wise to consider.