在华菲律宾教师中存在着女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、变性者和酷儿（LGBTQ）群体，他们在不同于菲律宾的语境中教学并探寻自身的身份认同。在这一过程中，在华菲律宾性少数教师面临着许多困难。社会现实促使了对话的展开：一方面，对于菲律宾酷儿教师而言，他们在新的地理位置和社会文化环境中工作生活；另一方面，对于北京的课堂而言，它们从这些老师那里获得教育和社会资本。因此，本研究旨在回答： 1. 在中国成为“柜中的”酷儿老师有哪些挑战？2. 在北京的课堂里，菲律宾酷儿教师是如何协商他们的职业和私人身份认同的？3. 如果可能的话，这些老师将如何影响中国课堂中对性少数群体的积极文化和氛围的形成？在亚洲，例如中国或菲律宾，对这一领域的研究非常有限，因此，对围绕这一独特复杂社会文化表征的问题进行更多的探索是必要且适时的。来自菲律宾的酷儿教育者的生活经验也体现了这一点，研究表明，菲律宾对性少数社群具有更高的宽容度和接受度（布拉卡蒙特-迪宗&帕尔玛，2014； 弗耶，2014；联合国开发计划署和美国国际开发署，2014a），而在他们如今生活的中国，同性恋仍是不受欢迎的（人权观察，2015年，2012年，2005年；联合国开发计划署，2016年；联合国开发计划署和美国国际开发署，2014b），来自菲律宾的酷儿教育者寻求着协商自身身份认同的方法。本文聚焦在菲律宾或自身社交圈中已“出柜”，但由于某些个人和社会原因不得不在中国任教时对其身份保持低调的菲律宾教师。 “柜子”通常被认为是酷儿个体耻辱和沉默的象征（拉斯姆森，2004），而“出柜”则指向个体追求个人与公众对其自身观点的一致性（卡斯，1979）。但菲律宾酷儿教师所处的现实是，当他们进入教室时，他们也进入了“柜子”，而“柜子”是他们曾经忍受沉默、压迫和耻辱的地方。因此，笔者将本文命名为“作为柜子的教室”，旨在将酷儿教师经历的现实物象化。通过更深入的对该群体生活经历的研究，现实清楚地揭示了身份认同是如何被形成、被重构和被协商的。本文采用叙事探究的研究方法，通过访谈、撰写反思论文、圈中共享的创新三步过程，将酷儿教师交织的故事贯穿其中，并从符号互动论以及其他社会学和教育学理论框架对其进行综合。具体而言，本文从比较教育学的视角，不仅仅揭示了性少数议题研究中教育学、心理学和社会学的相关性，更涉及到菲律宾和移民研究、中国教育经验、教学法，以及对当前教育体系的全面深入研究。本文深入考察了在华菲律宾性少数教师如何探寻自身身份并审视其私人和专业身份认同之间错综复杂的关系：它们如何交织在一起但仍可以分离，以及这种分离如何影响教师和课堂中积极的酷儿文化的形成。如果希望“解放”（保罗·弗莱雷，2005）和“ 逾越”（贝尔·胡克斯，1994）压迫性的社会结构，并在教学中融入“酷儿”的方式，这些话语至关重要。

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Filipino teachers in China are faced with struggles as they navigate their identities while teaching in a different context. This social reality unwraps and starts a dialogue from both ends –for Filipino queer teachers as they operate from this new geographical and socio-cultural location, and for Beijing classrooms as they receive the pedagogical and social capital from these teachers.  Thus, this research aimed to answer (1) what are the challenges of being a ‘closeted’ queer teacher in China?; (2) how do Filipino queer teachers negotiate their professional and private identities in Beijing classrooms? and (3) how, if at all, do these teachers impact a queer positive culture and climate in Chinese classrooms? Research about this field is highly scarce and limited in Asia, China or the Philippines for instance, which makes a more compelling case and very timely opportunity to explore more on the issues that surround this uniquely complex sociocultural manifestation. This is embodied through the lived experiences of queer educators who come from the Philippines, of which studies suggest have more tolerance and a more accepting social context towards the LGBTQ community (Bracamonte-dizon & Palma, 2014; Foe, 2014; UNDP & USAID, 2014a), finding its way to negotiate their identities in their host country, China, where homosexuality is still ill-favored (Human Rights Watch, 2015, 2012, 2005; UNDP, 2016; UNDP & USAID, 2014b). This research focuses on the teachers who are ‘out of the closet’ in the Philippines or in their social spheres and yet for some personal and social reasons, have to keep their identities discreet while being a teacher in a Chinese classroom. The ‘closet’ has been often regarded as a symbol of shame and silence for queer individuals (Rasmussen, 2004) and being ‘out’ of it signifies one’s pursuit to bring congruity between private and public view of self  (Cass, 1979). But the reality being lived by Filipino queer teachers is that as they enter the classroom, they also enter a room identical to a closet—a place of silence, oppression and stigma that they once endured. Hence, I entitled this dissertation ‘classroom as closet’ to materialize this reality that queer teachers experience. Such realities distinctly reveal how identities are formed, reconstructed and negotiated through a more in-depth study of their lived experiences. Using a narrative inquiry as a research approach, with an innovative three-step process that includes interview, reflection papers and sharing circle, this paper threads throughout the interwoven stories of queer teachers and synthesize them from symbolic interactionism and other sociological and pedagogical theoretical frameworks. Specifically, from a comparative education standpoint, this research unveils pedagogical, psychological and social relevance that span not only to the studies of LGBTQ, but implicates Filipino and immigration studies, Chinese education experiences, teaching methodologies and an overall deep dive into the discourses of gender and sexual identities vis-à-vis our current education systems. Looking profoundly at how they navigate their identities reconnoiter the intricate relationship between private and professional identities—how they are intertwined and yet still can be detached, and how such separation and detachment impact teachers and affect a queer-positive culture in the classroom. These discourses are highly crucial if we are to look forward to ‘liberate’ (Freire, 2005) and ‘transgress’ (hooks, 1994) against oppressive social structures and incorporate ‘queer’ ways in teaching and learning.