A Queer of Color Challenge to Neutrality in Undergraduate Stem Pedagogy as a White, Cisheteropatriarchal Space

Higher education research has documented that racism and cisheteropatriarchy overlap to shape barriers and support opportunities for undergraduate queer and trans* students of color (QTSOC). However, research specific to STEM pedagogical practices (e.g., curricular design, classroom instruction, student support) is missing from this literature, which can provide discipline-specific insights on affirming classroom practices for this population. Reform in undergraduate STEM curriculum and instruction has largely focused on supporting all students, which upholds the guise of neutrality while leaving unchallenged the interlocking functions of cisheteropatriarchy and white supremacy. As a response to the JWM themed issue's call for reimagining STEM higher education research, this position paper proposes a queer of color research agenda to generate alternative approaches for undergraduate pedagogy that disrupt the violence of neutrality in STEM. Our agenda makes a twofold contribution. First, we extend research on racism and misogyny in undergraduate STEM classrooms by exploring how cisheteropatriarchy informs variation in racially minoritized students' experiences of pedagogical practices when considering minoritized gender and sexual identities. Second, the agenda brings a focus on STEM pedagogy to research on QTSOC, which has been overlooked despite its impact on students' academic persistence and disciplinary identity constructions. The position paper concludes with implications for departmental faculty, college/university leaders, and federal agencies to assist the development of educational practice and policies that disrupt STEM neutrality responsible for marginalization among undergraduate QTSOC.