And that message is that English teachers can work to make their classrooms affirming and loving spaces for students even when broader school structures remain entrenched with homo-, trans-, bi-, and queerphobia. The message behind the meme transcends the specific popular cultural texts used to construct the meme. A search on Twitter with the words “gay” and “English teacher” will provide the depth of the meme’s reach.
While not an official name, I refer to the collection of memes as the “English teachers support queer youth” genre.Įxamples of the meme are abundant: screenshots from video games, promotional photos from actors, stills from reality shows, celebrity pictures at political events, stock images of bespectacled readers, and the list goes on. In the past few years I’ve noticed a warming (and often humorous) trend on social media: Queer youth creating memes that speak to the ways their English teachers supported, affirmed, and loved them.
This blog post was written by Cody Miller, Chair of the NCTE LGBTQ Advisory Committee.
