Divisive Concepts Laws: The Experiences of Queer Male Choir Teachers of Color in Florida and Texas

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning that queer men of color teaching choir in Florida and Texas ascribe to divisive concepts laws (DCLs) related to race, sexual identity, and gender identity proposed and/or enacted in their respective states. Using a transcendental phenomenological approach, we interviewed 12 participants on three separate occasions. Colaizzi's method guided our data analysis. Three themes emerged from our data: perceptions of constraint, restrictions related to text, and stifled contributions. Perceptions of constraint varied, depending on the support teachers received within the broader school and local community as well as their own comfort with compartmentalizing their personal and professional lives. Among those who restricted their repertoire selections, the greatest concerns related to discussion of texts, especially within Negro spirituals. Potential contributions among queer men of color were often stifled in professional contexts where they felt fearful of DCL backlash, robbing students of many rich cultural perspectives and empathic connections.