“We’re Controversial by Our Mere Existence”
Navigating the U.S. Sociopolitical Context as TQ-Center(ed) Diversity Workers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20249387 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kalyani Kannan (0000-0002-8717-0760, West Chester University, corresponding author), Kristopher Oliveira (0000-0003-4139-3675, University of Maryland, College Park), Steven Feldman (0000-0002-4609-9881, Indiana University Bloomington), D Chase J Catalano (0000-0002-1674-4448, Virginia Tech), Antonio Duran (0000-0002-3990-6796, Arizona State University), Jonathan T Pryor (0000-0003-1372-5898, California State University, Fresno) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 191 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Humanities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2076-0787 • E-ISSN: 2076-0787 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/h14100191 |
| OpenAlex | W4414671684 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
In the face of escalating sociopolitical hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, trans and queer (TQ) center(ed) diversity workers in higher education are navigating increasingly precarious professional landscapes. This study explores the lived experiences of TQ-center(ed) diversity workers through a general qualitative design informed by participatory action research (PAR). Drawing on the concept of “burn through,” critiquing the role of institutions in the exhaustion of practitioners, and the theory of tempered radicalism, describing the fine line diversity workers must navigate to advocate for change within oppressive systems, we examine how these practitioners persist amid institutional neglect, emotional labor, and political antagonism. Findings from interviews with eight participants reveal three central themes: the systemic nature of burn through, the protective power of community, and the multifaceted role of liberation in TQ-center(ed) diversity work. Participants described both the toll and the transformative potential of their roles, highlighting community as a critical site of resistance and renewal. This study contributes to the growing literature on TQ advocacy in higher education and underscores the need for institutional accountability and collective care in sustaining liberatory futures
Accountability · Habitus · Participatory action research · Politics · Qualitative research · Transformative learning · Labor Movements and Unions
Crossroads Tempered Radicalism and the Politics of Ambivalence and Change
How LGBTQ+ Students Thrive in College
Mapping the Rise of LGBTQ+ Student Affairs
Identity, Role, and Oppression
Burned Out or Burned Through? The Costs of Student Affairs Diversity Work
Participatory Action Research
“There Is Queer Inequity, but I Pick to Be Happy”
On Being Included
Making a Case for General Qualitative Descriptive
Affirming policies, programs, and supportive services
Standards of practice
Traditionally Heterogendered Institutions
Dangerous Waters and Brave Space
Mapping the Margins
Community Within a Community
Queerness is a Particular Liability
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |