TRANSforming language use in science education through trans and queer studies

Recent advancements in research and policy have created promising opportunities for science educators and researchers dedicated to equity and social justice for marginalized learnersi (e.g., National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2022). Despite these strides, the issue of epistemic injustice (Kean, 2021), where certain voices are prioritized over others, persists (Bang et al., 2017; Lee Tolbert et al., 2024). In science education, valued ways of being, knowing, and communicating are often tied to White, able-bodied, cisgender, and English-speaking norms, which marginalizes certain bodies, identities, and languages (Bourdieu, 1991; Flores Rende Mendoza Roberts Flores Slaton et al., 2019). By adopting asset-based pedagogies (Lee Martino Rende Mendoza Wright resisting essentialism; and embracing experiential knowledge and personal epistemologies. The authors emphasize the importance of teaching students about the historical misuse of science as a tool of oppression, celebrating LGBTQ+ figures in science, and utilizing language that avoids unnecessary gendering. By including students as co-creators in the learning process, this framework not only enriches science education but also provides a conceptual basis for examining language use in science. Additionally, queer theory challenges normative structures in education, urging educators to resist the "institutionalized regulatory processes of naming, categorizing, normalizing, and explaining" characteristic of STEM education that is used to "define and undermine what's normal and natural, and what's not" (Fifield Wei, 2018), language acquisition (e.g., Lippi-Green, 2012), content-language integrated learning (e.g., Tagnin Bunch, 2014; Gutiérrez Pierson Turner García Morton Wade-Jaimes et al., 2021). Language also plays a crucial role in defining and interacting with gender identities in science classrooms, where oppressive language can often prevail. It is essential to counteract such language in various science learning and teaching communities. One key aspect is to avoid portraying LGBTQ people as merely needing to be saved, which reinforces a deficit view that pathologizes them as victims (Gorski et al., 2013; Wright et al., 2024). Instead, we should adopt asset-based perspectives that empower LGBTQ people by highlighting their strengths and contributions. Rather than assimilating, pathologizing, othering, and policing diverse ways of languaging in science classrooms, we should reframe perspectives on language using nonnormative and nonbinary structures to open up science learning spaces for students to thrive in embodying and talking science. This requires purposeful designs of instructional practices that center on diverse ways of being and knowing in science learning spaces (Kayumova Lustick et al., 2024). Instead we must embed these perspectives into the curriculum as part of critical interdisciplinary literacy and acculturation to underscore how science teaching and learning are performed in and through language. This shift moves away from an additive approach to language use towards a more integrative and transformative practice that values identities and languages as promotive for science learning and teaching. We believe that marginalized learners can take control of their languaging practices and reposition themselves as thriving learners in science learning spaces, promoting a dynamic and evolving intersectionality of their bodies, identities, and languages. Butler emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting individuals' personal experiences and the language they choose to describe them: "Call me this. Use this term. We agree to use this language (Bennett, 2024, para. 15)." This reflects an appreciation for lived experiences and the recognition that individuals have the right to define and claim their own identities. This indicates that language choices are not just about communication but also about validating and affirming identities. This affirmative action involves the creativity of marginalized groups as they redefine their identities beyond societal constraints, foster and sustain their communities, and strive to enhance these environments for themselves and future generations (Pease et al., 2024). The call for "a little more compassion for the adjustment process" highlights the need for empathy and respect for personal journeys, aligning with the principles of epistemic justice, which advocate for the acknowledgment and valuation of marginalized perspectives and knowledge (Bennett, 2024, para. 15). As language evolves and new terms are introduced, there is an acknowledgment that individuals may need time to adapt. This compassion is crucial for fostering an inclusive and safe space where everyone can learn, grow, and be their authentic self. Why does promoting lived social experiences and epistemic justice matter when it comes to languaging in science learning and teaching spaces? Leveraging lived experiences and fostering epistemic justice are crucial in science learning and teaching spaces because it ensures that diverse perspectives and knowledge systems are acknowledged and respected. This inclusivity enriches the learning environment and allows learners to connect doing and talking science to their own experiences and cultural backgrounds, focusing on helping them thrive (Cian Fackler, 2024). It also promotes equity by recognizing and addressing the power imbalances that can marginalize certain voices, leading to a more just and effective science learning experience for all learners (Harper & Kayumova, 2023). To accomplish this, we should actively involve educators and researchers in addressing not only the technical aspects of teaching and learning with multilingual students but also in critically understanding the systemic power dynamics among languages, the ways we perform them, and the ways we make them count in learning spaces (Prasad & Bettney Heidt, 2023). Understanding how queer and trans people thrive is critical to this discourse. For example, in a lesson on chemical resonance—where chemical bonds can be arranged into different structures within molecules—a ninth and eleventh grade physical science and chemistry trans, nonbinary science teacher uses an NPR podcast (Rende, 2022). In this podcast, a nonbinary scientist explains how chemistry and resonance impacted their understanding "that it is natural and normal to be a human who exists between categories" (Rende, 2022, p. 102). This creativity is also seen in how trans people of color develop an understanding of themselves outside rigid societal norms, survive within these contexts, and seek to improve them for themselves and future generations (Pease et al., 2024). One way to help marginalized learners express their authentic selves beyond normative constraints is to shift from the concept of the White listener-as-science teacher to the multilingual listener-as-science teacher. It has the potential to change how we perform languages and how we make them count in science learning spaces. For instance, the way a student performs languages can greatly influence the level of credibility attributed to them by teachers, bearing both a social and an epistemic significance (Fricker, 2007). Similarly, when a student speaking English as an additional language mispronounces a word or selects an incorrect term to convey their thoughts, it is interpreted as a lack of understanding. Discrediting them for such language nuances leads to an unjust erosion of credibility, indicative of epistemic injustice. This deficiency may place marginalized learners at a disadvantage in understanding and making sense of their lived, social experiences. Instead of othering, gatekeeping, and pathologizing, educators should think about designing science learning spaces as a place and structure for dignity-affirming praxis (Espinoza et al., 2020). This dignity-affirming praxis can stem from actively providing learners with safe spaces and agency in the learning process. Despite the challenges, this praxis can also arise from resisting barriers to accessible learning opportunities (Espinoza & Vossoughi, 2014). This commentary discusses how trans–queer studies can transform language use in science education, emphasizing individual agency, safe spaces, resistance, visibility, and respectful engagement. By challenging normativity and unintelligibility, we advocate for using trans–queer insights to create more inclusive and dynamic language frameworks. The science education community should adopt intersectional approaches to address structural oppressive systems, fostering embodied autonomy and agency in marginalized learners. Trans–queer studies provide a framework for TRANSforming language use in science education, enhancing opportunities for marginalized learners to experience dignity and authenticity in their learning. As Philip and Sengupta (2021) suggest, how we conceptualize learning reflects our vision for society. The future of our society depends on our ability to create hopeful and imaginative possibilities where all students can thrive authentically.