Sought out, kept out: Transantagonistic, anti-queer, and racist rhetoric in liberal academia

Emerging from our everyday experiences, we approach the rhetoric of transantagonism working with anti-queerness and racism as intersectional power structures that impact us as historically marginalized academics. We point to how we struggle in our institutions to build upon themes of antagonistic rhetoric meant to keep our minoritarian identities in "check," while our presences also "check" university diversity quotas. Drawing on transgender, queer, and critical race texts, we argue that academics voicing critical discord are seen as troublesome for universities, colleges, and departments upholding transphobic, queer phobic, and white supremacist systems. We explore three distinct responses to taking up space: Drama, Doubt, and Discipline.