Building coalitions for a more inclusive future

Join us this October for the 2nd Annual 2026 Queering Education Conference, a virtual gathering of educators, researchers, advocates, students, school leaders, and community partners committed to building more inclusive educational spaces.

The Queering Education Conference brings together people who are supporting queer and trans people in education from multiple angles. Some are in classrooms. Some are in leadership. Some are doing policy work, research, community organizing, teacher preparation, student support, or family advocacy. This conference is designed to bring those conversations into the same space.

LGBTQ+ people, histories, and ways of knowing are being challenged, erased, and politicized; this conference is rooted in something deeper than reaction. It is rooted in practice. In pedagogy. In coalition. In the belief that trans and other queer people deserve educational spaces where they can learn, work, lead, and exist fully.

Whether your work is grounded in research, direct service, teaching, organizing, or institutional change, this conference is meant to offer a space for learning, strategy, connection, and possibility.

Who should attend

• K–12 educators
• Higher education faculty and staff
• School and District leaders
• Researchers and graduate students
• Counselors, Social Workers, and Student Support Staff
• Community organizers and nonprofit leaders
• LGBTQ+ advocates and allies
• Anyone working toward more inclusive education

What to expect

The 2026 Queering Education Conference will feature sessions, conversations, and collaborative learning opportunities focused on what it takes to build educational spaces that are more just, more honest, and more affirming.

This year, we are especially interested in creating pathways that help attendees move through the conference with intention. These pathways are being developed in collaboration with partner organizations and are designed to connect ideas, practice, and community across the event.

Proposed pathways include:

Supporting Queer and Trans Educators

Sessions focused on retention, belonging, workplace climate, professional development, safety, and sustainability for LGBTQ+ educators.

Supporting Queer and Trans Students

Conversations and resources centered on student affirmation, school culture, mental health, family engagement, and direct support across educational settings.

Queering Curriculum

Work that explores what it means to meaningfully embed LGBTQ+ people, histories, perspectives, and pedagogies into teaching and learning.

Queer Leadership

Sessions for administrators, organizational leaders, department chairs, and movement leaders working to shape systems, policy, and institutional culture.

Queer Research

Research, inquiry, scholarship, and emerging work that help us better understand queer and trans experiences in education and imagine new possibilities.

Ally and Coconspirators

Work on what it means to be an ally and actions that define positive allyship. ​​ Research and practical suggestions for how allies and coconspirators can remain active and consistent in their support of equity and equality and their advocacy of LGBTQ+ rights.

Conference Themes

We welcome proposals and participation that connect with themes including:

Inclusive curriculum and queer and trans pedagogies

Embedding LGBTQ+ identities, histories, and ways of knowing into teaching and learning.

Mentorship and pathways into the field

Supporting educators, students, and emerging scholars through mentorship, collaboration, and community.

Creativity and expression in education

Artistic, performative, and creative approaches to teaching, learning, and resistance.

Community engagement and activism

Partnerships between schools, higher education, nonprofits, families, and LGBTQ+ communities that support real change.

Policy, leadership, and institutional change

Reimagining leadership, systems, and educational structures so they better serve queer and trans people.

Intersectionality and belonging

Exploring how race, disability, class, language, religion, immigration status, and other identities shape LGBTQ+ experiences in education.

Digital and national perspectives

Virtual learning, online community building, and cross-regional collaboration in queer education work.

Navigating precarity and uncertain times

How educators, students, and organizations are responding to instability, censorship, and political attacks while continuing to build affirming spaces.

Defiant hope and quiet resistance

The daily practices, choices, and small acts that help sustain queer and trans life in education.

Call for proposals

We invite proposals from:

• Educators
• Researchers
• Students
• School Leaders
• Community-based Practitioners
• Nonprofit Professionals
• Artists and Facilitators
• Interdisciplinary Collaborators

We are especially interested in sessions that are practical, grounded, and generous. We want attendees to leave with ideas they can use, language they can borrow, connections they can build on, and a stronger sense that they are not doing this work alone.

Proposals may take the form of:

• Presentations
• Panels
• Workshops
• Roundtables
• Research Talks
• Facilitated Conversations

Additional proposal information, submission guidelines, and deadlines will be shared soon.