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(GALE Lecture Series #2) Gender Identities in Language Education

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GALE Lecture Series: Gender Identities in Language Education, June 28, 2026 (14:00 - 16:00) on Zoom. Presentations: Negotiating Queer Identities Through Autoethnography by Ms. Chelanna White, Director of Progam, JALT; Representing Diversity - Challenges and "Subtle Activism" of LGBTQ+ JET Teachers in Japanese Schools, Dr. Ami Kobayashi, RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau. To Register, go to https://tinyurl.com/ join-GALELecture2 This is a free event.

On Sunday, June 28, 2026 (14:00–16:00 JST), the Gender Awareness in Language Education (GALE) SIG of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) will hold its second GALE Lecture Series. As we celebrate Pride Month, this lecture series will focus on gender identities in language education. Our speakers, Ms. Chelanna White and Dr. Ami Kobayashi, will share their expertise and experiences regarding gender identities and discuss ways to navigate related situations in educational and classroom contexts.

  • Date: June 28, 2026
  • Time: 14:00–16:00 JST
  • Format: Online
  • Cost: Free for both JALT members and non-members

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/join-GALELecture2

Due to the sensitive nature of the topics and our commitment to creating a safe space for both presenters and participants, registration requires a Google login. If you are unable to register through the form, you may also email us directly (through our contact form or at gale-publicity@jalt.org) with your intention to attend.

Negotiating Queer Identities Through Autoethnography

Photograph of Chelanna White, Lecturer at Reitaku University and Director of Program for JALT.

In this autoethnographic presentation, I explore how my identities as a queer, foreign English language teacher in Japan intersect and shift across classrooms, workplaces, and community spaces. Through three personal narratives, I reflect on a student’s coming out, finding confidence through stand-up comedy and drag performance, and sharing insider knowledge about navigating queer life and work in Japan. Drawing on Norton’s concept of identity and Darvin and Norton’s model of investment, I consider how queer teacher visibility shapes relationships with students and informs my pedagogical choices. At a time when queer voices remain underrepresented in language teacher identity research, this presentation offers one educator’s reflections on authenticity, belonging, and the possibilities that emerge when queer voices are amplified.

Chelanna White

Lecturer at Reitaku University, JALT Director of Program

Chelanna is a lecturer at Reitaku University and Director of Program for JALT. Her research interests are student motivation and autonomy, and language teacher identity – particularly through a queer lens. She lives in Tokyo with her two cats (and fellow Drag Race fans) Coco and Wyatt.

Representing Diversity — Challenges and “Subtle Activism” of LGBTQ+ JET Teachers in Japanese Schools

Photograph of Ami Kobayashi, Professor at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Laundau

In my presentation I will discuss the unique experiences that non-Japanese LGBTQ+ teachers have faced in Japanese schools. Together with Kazuyoshi Kawasaka (the University of Tokyo) I conducted interviews between 2021 and 2024 with 16 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme participants who are currently working or have worked in Japanese schools. In addition to its official purpose of promoting the internationalization (kokusaika) of Japan from a grassroots level, the JET Programme has had the unintended consequence of contributing to the creation of spaces in Japanese society for diversity, as many LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color have participated in the program and interacted with local communities. Our interview analysis shows that LGBTQ+ JET Programme participants, whether or not they openly displayed their sexual and gender identities, played a role in representing ‘diversity’ in Japanese classrooms, which are usually collective oriented.

Ami Kobayashi

RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau

Ami KOBAYASHI is the principal investigator of the project “Makarenko’s Collective Education Beyond the Iron Curtain – Debates on socialist competition and their practical consequences in the GDR, Japan and the Soviet Union” at the Faculty of Education at the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau. Her research interests are education transfer, comparative education, the cultural history of pedagogical practices, sexual minorities in schools and differentiation processes in the educational system. Together with Kazuyoshi Kawasaka (Tokyo University), she published several articles on LGBTQ+ JET teachers in Japanese schools.