Interpersonal Factors Affecting Queer Second or Foreign Language Learners’ Identity Management in Class

Abstract

Although most second or foreign language classrooms can be assumed to contain queer learners, research shows that educators often fail to create inclusive learning environments and outcomes for these populations. A step toward improving this situation is to understand the factors affecting how queer students manage their identities in language classrooms. I use interview data from queer students of Japanese as a second or foreign language (N = 16) to analyze how the characteristics and behaviors of others in the class influence their sexual identity management. My findings indicate that queer learners use 3 types of cue when gauging others to anticipate the consequences of their decision to reveal their nonheteronormative identity in class: salient indicators, insider evidence, and explicit statements. This article also explores how some participants used the “here and now” event of the research interview itself to carry out accounting work that discursively resisted heteronormativity by positioning their sexual identity as normative. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for identity management theory and educational practice.

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