We Refuse to Disappear
Resistance Amid Anti-Trans Education Policy
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Harvard Educational Publishing Group
Publishing:30th Nov '26
£28.99
This title is due to be published on 30th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A comprehensive account of resisting anti-trans legislation, which serves as a blueprint for creating safe, affirming classrooms
Every day, educators must navigate anti-trans policies that affect numerous dimensions of school life, including curriculum, pronouns, athletics, teacher speech, bathroom access, and gender-affirming care. In We Refuse to Disappear, sj Miller takes an in-depth look at these policies, how they impact schools, and how teachers can continue to promote equity within increasingly constrained legal environments.
Based on a national policy analysis of state statutes, regulatory guidance, and enforcement patterns, this book identifies The Ten That Target—the most consequential policy areas shaping the educational terrain for trans* students and those who teach them. Miller introduces A Pedagogy of Refusal—a teaching practice that consciously resists harmful laws, policies, and norms—as the antidote to a sweeping policy regime intent on erasing trans* students and educators. Each chapter centers a statute, breaks it down to be easily understandable, and pairs it with vignettes that show how refusal is enacted and sustained across educational contexts. Through layered classroom narratives and real-world case studies drawn from elementary, middle, high school, and postsecondary settings, this book empowers educators to act as ethical protectors who nurture student safety and affirmation. In addition, Miller provides proven, classroom-ready strategies and scenarios for K–16 educators across subject areas.
We Refuse to Disappear dispenses powerful guidance for educators, leaders, teacher educators, students, families, advocates, policy professionals, and others who need clarity, language, and tools to sustain justice when laws are being used to erase.
"In moments like these, when the world seems determined to make certain lives disappear, it is necessary to record not only the harm, but those who refused it—those who said no, who loved anyway. sj has given us both. Through writing, teaching, and truth-telling, sj reminds us that the future of education cannot be imagined without trans* youth standing fully within it. This book arrives at a critical moment for teachers willing to see clearly, listen deeply, and act courageously. It is both a guide and challenge: to recognize the brilliance of trans* youth and confront the systems that seek to erase them." - Bettina L. Love
"Miller's meticulously researched account of resistance to the anti-trans agenda that harms so many students and families today is a lengthy, learned footnote to the poem that opens the book: the world makes trans folks its monsters, but we rewrite the genre and refuse to disappear." - Susan Stryker
"Combining razor-sharp political analysis with clear, accessible writing, We Refuse to Disappear is the tool we need to defend our trans students from ongoing assaults by conservatives. Packed with concrete examples, heartfelt narrative, and classroom-based strategies, author sj Miller has given all educators a gift of a resource that is right on time in the fight for educational justice for all of our students." - Wayne Au
"We Refuse to Disappear is the culmination of Miller's career living, breathing, yelling, fighting for the humanity, strength, and insights brought to schools by trans* students. Beginning with poetry and ending with resources, Miller delineates transphobic constraints by focusing on policies that target trans* students and their teachers and proposes pedagogical acts of refusal across disciplines based on carefully crafted composites. Thus, Miller effectively acknowledges current reality and offers ways forward toward a better one." - Mollie Blackburn
"We Refuse to Disappear: Resistance Amid Anti-Trans Education Policy explores how anti-trans laws reshape schools and civic education. Using cases like Alabama's proposed HB 244, it shows how fear and anticipatory compliance erase LGBTQIA lives from the curriculum. The book also highlights how educators resist by restoring histories, affirming identities, and grounding inclusion in scholarly rigor. Essential reading as debates over trans rights and public education grow intense." - Cynthia Tyson
"With this detailed collection of curriculum-based vignettes, sj Miller provides complex guidance for navigating laws and policies intent on ending respectful recognition of trans, nonbinary, and gender diverse students. Using detailed key concepts from an array of subject areas and levels Miller demonstrates how pedagogies that refuse disrespect are rooted in good teaching practices. This fine book will help reinforce care for students–and subject areas–in times that require us to refuse bias and exclusion." - Cris Mayo
"We Refuse to Disappear identifies how anti-trans legislation is changing the classroom, and how educators, despite these challenges, still advocate for the dignity of their students. Through policy analysis, narrative, and practical strategies, this timely book explores the concept of refusal as a life-giving praxis. If you are an educator who care about your students and their futures, this text is a must-have." - Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz
ISBN: 9798895571200
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
368 pages