ED55 - Pop Culture Hulk Smash Gender Binary: Non-Binary Texts in Classrooms

ROOM 709 - Education

Friday May 31, 2019 - 1:30 pm to 2:20 pm


This panel will highlight a series of pop culture comics, novels, plays, and monologues that are written by non-binary authors, contain strong examples of non-binary characters, or both. In so doing, we will provide educators with a resource list of texts that they can use to support more gender-inclusive lessons. We will also include a discussion of classroom "Do's and Don't's" when teaching non-binary texts and engaging non-binary students. (For example, do respect pronouns without question. Don't tell your non-binary student that you're "bad at" using they/them, so they'll need to help you [this is not their job].) With unceasing assaults on trans/non-binary communities, education is more important than ever. Non-binary students need to feel safe in their classes, and cisgender students must learn gender empathy which can, as always, be transmitted through smart storytelling and analysis. This panel will include Jonathan Alexandratos (they/them/he/his), a non-binary playwright and professor at Queensborough Community College who uses non-binary and trans texts in class to discuss the network of genders that exists; K. Woodzick (they/them), a non-binary theatremaker and founder of the Non-Binary Monologues Project and creator of last year's TesserACT: Dimensions of Gender at Page 23, and Ayla Sullivan (they/them), a non-binary actor and creator who participated in last year's TesserACT: Dimensions of Gender at DPCC's Page 23. PLEASE NOTE: While this is, currently, a three-person panel, we would be happy to include any relevant DPCC guest who might be suitable to join us.


Guests