M.A., History, Kent State University, 2019
M.A.T., Social Studies Education, Kent State University, 2011
B.A., History, Kent State University, 2008

Max Monegan
Graduate Student, 2019 Cohort
Graduate Student, 2019 Cohort
M.A., History, Kent State University, 2019
M.A.T., Social Studies Education, Kent State University, 2011
B.A., History, Kent State University, 2008
My research focuses on the history of gender and sexuality in the United States during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In particular I am interested in the changing social constructions of gender and sexuality - over and across time, and across rural and urban terrains. My master’s thesis, A Different Kind of Community: Queerness and Urban Ambiguity in Northeast Ohio, 1945-1980, focused on the development of the LGBTQ+ community in and around Akron, Ohio. The focus of my interviews were the memories of community members about the emergance of the local queer community, and the changing language of identity that has occured over time. In my future research I hope to continue to examine the differing perceptions of gender and sexuality between urban and rural populations. Additionally, I am deeply interested in issues of access, equity, and representation of and for queer youth in education.
I am returning to academia after teaching high school history for seven years. I helped found Bio-med Science Academy STEM School in Northeast Ohio in 2012. While there, I helped to create a climate of acceptance and foster an amazing community of queer youth who have been an inspiration to my research, and my life. In my personal life I serve on GLSEN’s national educator advisory council, and enjoy doing science in the kitchen.