It's a Balancing Act: The Good Teacher and Ally Identity

This study examines teachers' narratives about their support of LGBTQ students and their reasons for engaging in this work. The teachers represented here are past participants of the Reduction of Stigma in Schools—a professional development program that aims to provide teachers with knowledge and tools that will empower them to create affirming environments for LGBTQ students. Interview data indicates that the role of the teacher ally is being understood as a figure of care and respite, and teachers are invoking gendered, idealized constructions of the good teacher in their descriptions of students' needs and negotiations of institutional resistance.