The ESL Classroom and the Queerly Shifting Sands of Learner Identity

Abstract

Class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality are increasingly recognized as complex constructs of varied forms of identity. We now tend to speak of learner identities in the plural rather than learner identity in the singular. In this context, issues of sexual diversity intersect with those of cultural and linguistic diversity. The ESL classroom is one place where learners should not feel shy or afraid to explore and negotiate their identities, including their sexual identities. To help them in this process, teachers can provide a safe classroom environment where learners can discover what options are available to them.