Queering Identities: LGBTQ+ Sexuality and Gender Identity

Learn and get to know your instructors that will guide you in this course.

This module provides an overview of the terminology and definitions we will be using throughout the course and establishes a plan of action for learning from and with each other as we put the terminology into practice. We will discuss regional and local variations in terminology and language use, and learners will research and identify local applications of LGBTQ+ terminology. Learners will draw on their knowledge to discuss the current state of LGBTQ+ inclusion in their context.

In this module, we explore the concept of gender as a social construct and consider how all of us learn about and reinforce or resist gender norms. We’ll look at some strategies for creative resistance to socially constructed beliefs about gender and also consider the experiences of transgender people as they transition into a new gender identity.

This module extends the exploration of social constructs to consider how sex and sexual identities have been socially constructed. We critically examine the common presumption that sex is biological, or natural. We draw on the experiences of intersex and transgender communities to consider an alternative approach to understanding sex. Then we introduce the idea of sex as a social construct that is intimately tied to, but is distinct from, gender.