Queer theory has made its way through humanities departments all around collegiate campuses. It only makes sense that SUNY Buffalo State’s English Education Department invited noted LGBTQ scholar S.J. Miller to lead a workshop entitled “Queering Literacy Instruction: Moving Trans*Ness into the Classroom.”

“We asked S.J. to come because he is a renowned scholar and activist on LGBTQ and trans issues as they relate to education,” said Dr. James Cercone, English Education Program Coordinator. “This has been a topic many schools have been addressing and it is essential that we work to create schools and classrooms that are inclusive and respectful of all students.”

The workshop will be an all-day endeavor, focusing on creating an all-inclusive approach to the classroom dealing with issues of identity expansiveness. It will feature breakfast, a talk given by Miller himself, then various workshop sessions devoted to strategizing Miller’s Trans* classroom model into practice.

Miller has spent a total of 22 years teaching secondary English Language Arts, undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy, curriculum and instruction, and secondary pre-service Urban and English Teacher Education. His research focuses primarily in LGBTQ issues in education, but more-so his work is a way for Miller to advocate against bullying. He serves as Deputy Director of Educational Equity Supports and Services at New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools and Associate Professor Literacy Studies at University of Colorado, Boulder.

He is the author of six books on education, author or co-author of nearly twenty peer-reviewed articles, and has contributed eleven chapters to different anthologies. His book Generation Bullied 2.0 was awarded the title “Essential Book for Professionals Who Serve Teens,” by Voices of Youth Advocate Magazine. His book, “Unpacking the Loaded Teacher Matrix: Negotiating Space and Time Between University and Secondary English Classrooms,” was awarded the Richard A. Meade in 2007, which recognizes published works that advance the development of English Language Arts education.

The event is free and open to all teachers as well as students of education, which will also provide a good networking opportunity for those in the education program looking for future employment.

“This will be a great opportunity for our students to meet local teachers and administrators while developing their own professional identities,” Cercone said. “It addresses one of the great social justice issues of our time. It something everyone should be discussing.”

If you are interested in attending, you must register via [email protected] by Nov. 1. Although the event is free, a tax-deductible donation of $10 to the Western New York Network of English Teachers is recommended. The event will take place on Nov. 2 and will go from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. in Butler 210.

email: w[email protected]