You can kind of tell that some schools still don’t feel the ground shifting beneath their feet.
UVA courses bring queer theory, gender ideology into fall curriculum
The University of Virginia is offering multiple fall 2026 courses addressing sexuality, gender, and queer theory through its Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.
Among the offerings are “Streaming Sexualities” and “Human Sexualities”, courses that examine sexuality through academic frameworks including feminist and queer theory.
“Streaming Sexualities” will be co-taught by associate professors Lisa Speidel and Andre Cavalcante, both of whom are affiliated with UVA’s Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Cavalcante also holds an appointment in the Department of Media Studies.
The university’s course description states that “Streaming Sexualities” will “examine the portrayal of sex and sexuality in a variety of shows on television streaming platforms through the lens of media studies and intersectional, feminist and queer theory.”
“Human Sexualities” similarly examines sexuality from “psychological, biological, behavioral, social, and historical perspectives.”
Speidel’s academic work extends well beyond the two fall courses. Her website lists previous classes including “Women’s Self Defense,” “Contemporary Perspectives on Social Justice Movements,” “Social Inequalities,” “Race and Ethnic Studies,” “Gender and Multiculturalism,” “Multiculturalism and Social Justice,” and “Multicultural Education.”
A UVA Engagement article states that Speidel taught “Women’s Self Defense” for 20 years.
In 2025, Speidel published a book titled “Bisexuality Beyond Binaries: Celebrating Multiple Bisexual Identities in a World of Erasure.” Her UVA faculty profile says the book seeks to “move beyond the gender binary, and increase the visibility of multiple bisexualities.”
Cavalcante’s faculty profile states that his research focuses on “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) issues in media.”
He is also the author of “Struggling for Ordinary: Media and Transgender Belonging in Everyday Life,” which examines transgender experiences and media, and is working on another book titled “Life in Purple: Young, Queer, and Connected in the American South.”
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