Embodied Literacies of Sexuality and Gender of College Students

Internalized discourses of identity impact identity development, which in turn affects how one represents themselves in relation to their identity. This embodiment of language is a form of literacy and for those with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender, language can serve to validate or invalidate identities. We use grounded theory to consider reflections of college students with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender on identity formation through their lives in relation to language and labels used by others, ascribed to themselves, and ultimately used as embodied literacies of identity. Findings illustrate how participants internalized, embodied, and utilized cultural texts as processes of embodied literacy to develop and express their identities in relation to sexuality and gender. We present a call to action for educators and youth socializers to provide inclusive environments in which minoritized identities of sexuality and gender are represented explicitly and authentically as paths towards a broadened notion of literacy.