Queering educational leadership from the inside out

This article draws from poststructuralist, feminist and identity‐based political foundations of queer theory to construct a conceptual lens which complements other critical, anti‐oppression frameworks. It reveals some of the internal struggles in the field of queer studies, describes the social context for issues related to sexuality in North American schools and identifies queer theory's potential practical and theoretical contribution to educational leadership in terms of demystifying leadership, critical dialogue and structural support. Queer theory's as yet unrealized potential contribution to the field of educational administration lies in its implicit challenge to normative structures and its embodiment of the physical and emotional elements of schooling that are so often hidden by a mask of mandated rationality.