Abstract

Given recent anti-Queer legislation across the United States and the 16-year gap since Gray’s Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer Visibility in Rural America, this literature review describes the intersections of Queerness and rurality in K–12 educational spaces. Hallinger’s process for review provides a framework to analyze the selected articles. Based on the search criteria, nine peer-reviewed, empirical journal articles published between 2012 and 2022 were selected. These articles were analyzed for rural Queer salience and how they discuss the intersection of Queerness and rural education. From the analysis, three themes emerged related to victimization and safety, teacher and administrator attitudes, and school-provided Queer resources. This review concludes with a discussion and implications for change section that educators and researchers may use to further investigate the intersections of rural education and Queer identities.

How to Cite:

Whitten, C., (2025) “Queerness in Rural Schools: A Literature Review Exploring the Intersection of Rurality and Queerness in K–12 Schools”, Journal of Research in Rural Education 41(2), 1–16. doi: https://doi.org/10.26209/JRRE4102

Rights: Copyright