"I thought this course was going to be streamlined!": the limits of normal and the possibilities of transgression

This article offers an analysis of the parallels between neo-liberalism, epistemology, and pedagogy, specifically related to how neoliberal ideologies narrow the possibilities for considering transgressive sexualities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) education encourages educators to consider queer lives and communities, and can do so in ways that leave intact or challenge dominant norms. Neoliberalism, an economic expression of liberalism, rests on ideologies that support privatization and a diminished notion of the public good. These ideologies can become intertwined with epistemological expectations in the classroom. Related to queer theory and pedagogy, neoliberalism can profoundly narrow the possibilities for queer subjecthood. Epistemological neoliberalism, or structures of knowing that endorse an often falsely rendered normality, can be active in the classroom. This article explores two comments students offered in courses on gender and communication to explore the ways in which neoliberal ideologies bear on epistemological and pedagogical practices in ways that profoundly narrow conceptions of the social and constitutions of the subject, particularly related to transgressive sexualities and queer lives.