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GALE Forum @ PanSIG 2026

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PANSIG 2026 GALE SIG Forum Living on the Margins, Teaching in the Center: Diverse JET voices in Japan What does it mean to navigate identity while teaching in a society that often values conformity? In this session, we will explore the lived experiences of three Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in Japan who identify as gender-diverse, sexually diverse, and racially diverse. Each speaker will share their personal journey of identity development, resilience, and connection while living and working in Japan. Kurtis Carter: Speaker Dillon Flores: Speaker Bernadette Benjamin: Speaker 09:30 AM JST, May 24th, 2026 Room 810, Chukyo University, Nagoya

May 24, 2026
9:30 AM JST
Chukyo University — Room 810

The GALE SIG Forum at the upcoming will explore the theme:

“Living on the Margins, Teaching in the Center: Diverse JET Voices in Japan”

This forum brings together three current and former Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) whose lived experiences reflect the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, language, and identity in Japan. Through personal narratives and critical reflection, the session will examine how educators navigate belonging, resilience, and representation within educational and social spaces that often emphasize conformity.

Featuring:

Bernadette Benjamin, JET Alum Bernadette is an American who grew up in Brooklyn, NY, with Haitian parents. As a Haitian American, she lived her life traveling between two cultures that felt very different from each other. Upon coming to Japan, she had to re-evaluate her American identity and how her Haitian identity fit into the equation, while not losing the significance of her race and gender. Bernadette was a ALT in Kawanishi, Hyogo for 5 years. Now she teachers IB Business Management and Social Studies at Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School in Kyoto.
Dillon Flores, 4th Year ALT in Ehime Dillon is a non-binary/pansexual Latino. They grew up in Miami, Florida in the US as a first generation American being raised by a Cuban family. They were the first to graduate University with a Bachelors in their family. Moving to Japan 3 years ago, Dillon questioned what it means to be half American, half Cuban, and being queer has shifted perspectives with themself. Dillon is based in Matsuyama, Ehime and is in their 3rd year as an ALT on the JET Program.
Kurtis Carter, 2nd Year ALT in Fukushima Kurtis is a second-year ALT living in Iwaki, Fukushima. Originally from Sydney, Australia, but his parents are from New Zealand. He identifies as gay and somewhere on the non-binary spectrum. Kurtis taught Japanese in Sydney for 5 years before coming on the JET Programme. He is the former Director of Educational & Professional Development for National AJET and current Vice President of the Japanese Teachers Association of New South Wales (Australia). Kurtis loves supporting ALTs and teachers in developing their skills as educators to better support their students. Kurtis' passions outside of teaching include Waacking, singing and being a part of the ballroom community.

Together, the speakers will discuss identity development, intercultural experiences, and the role of diverse educator voices in shaping more inclusive learning environments in Japan.