Out of the Closet and on to the Stage: LGBTQ + Youth as Playwrights and Performers

ABSTRACT This comparative case study traces how two queer, middle school youth resisted local and national censorship efforts through bold and boisterous dramatic performances within a historic Catholic school in the northeastern United States. Drawing on Butler's Performative Theory of Assembly and critical literacy perspectives, I illustrate how the focal youth engaged in playwriting and performance in their ELA classroom not only as a mechanism for personal healing but also as a way to speak back to the layers of the social, political, and institutional contexts of their schooling. Centering the scripts that youth wrote and adapted for the stage in my analysis, I submit that these literacy activities opened up possibilities for celebration and connection. This study highlights the transformative potential of humanizing classrooms, where educators make space for youth to explore identity and discuss LGBTQ+ lives and communities in middle school.