Arguing that heteronormative framing of student identities in language classrooms is problematic (Liddicoat, 2009), scholars have made significant effort in challenging heteronormative and even homonormative practices in English language teaching (Bollas, 2021a). Moreover, publications (e.g., Barabas & Jiang, 2022; Lawrence & Nagashima, 2021a; Moore, 2016; Paiz, 2020; Trinh, 2022) that help instructors bring queer topics into classrooms are increasing. For instance, ELT Journal has published a series of articles on diverse pedagogies, including a diversity-focused approach (Bollas, 2021a), the use of well-chosen queer texts (Gray, 2021), and the explicit and implicit integration of LGBTQ+ issues into lesson content (Lawrence & Nagashima, 2021a). Additionally, the journal features critiques of some of the pedagogies (e.g., Moore, 2021) and the responses from the authors (Bollas, 2021b; Lawrence & Nagashima, 2021b). Arguably, queer pedagogy is not merely aware of queer people, but a pedagogy which radically deconstructs normalcy—sexuality as well as gender itself (Alexander, 2005). Despite relentless effort, much more work is still needed (Macdonald et al., 2014; Paiz, 2019), particularly in the creation of nuanced investigative narratives and pedagogical cases. This study enriches the ongoing discussion of queer pedagogy by delving into the exploration of queer issues within an English as a second language (ESL) undergraduate class in the United States. The students were mostly from China, the home of a large but often invisible queer population (Li & Zheng, 2013; Wang et al., 2020). In line with Wadell et al.'s (2012) argument that discussions of queer issues can benefit all students, in this study explicit discussions of queer issues were shown to empower the students to more agentively co-construct their own multilingual and multicultural identities in English language class. The class, including 17 Chinese students, was taught by the first author, who has been explicitly implementing queer pedagogies for several years, and observed by the second author, who interviewed 16 of the Chinese students to elicit their responses to the course and its materials. For these students, their new educational setting allowed and even required them to question and interrogate their own evolving identities—that is, the way each student practiced their linguistic, social, cultural, and gender identities in their new context (Gergen, 2015, pp. 145–164). This process of identity construction involved discussion and debate using abstract reasoning and complex language skills and created an authentic need for language use while also being personally significant. De-essentializing identities can aid identity construction through encouraging queer individuals and language learners to break away from preconceived, fixed notions about themselves or others and allowing for a more fluid and dynamic understanding of identity (Gergen, 2015, pp. 53–57). Aligned with Alexander's (2005) definition of queer pedagogy, the selected materials needed to include identities relatable to the students. At the same time, teacher explanations might impose on the students' expressions and, in turn, development of language and identity. Therefore, the materials should also require minimal teacher explanation. While students' misconceptions about queerness were breaking down, language development took many forms, and students needed space to construct their understanding without being confined to U.S. cultural norms. In one example, a student asked if it was bad that she thought that being a mother was the most important thing a woman can be, and this led to a discussion with the instructor about how that can be true for her but does not have to be true for other women. Meanwhile, though the need for marriage equality may have become accepted in much of the United States, gay students from other cultures may understandably view marriage for them as unnecessary or pernicious. In this regard, effective materials must represent these real-life concerns realistically enough to allow different perspectives. Ideal materials chosen for this situation were non-lexical and relevant to Chinese culture while presenting a real, evocative example for the students to react to, relate to, and discuss. For example, pictures or videos largely without dialogue allow student discussion before explanation, unlike with materials such as texts. With this more student-centered, co-constructive approach, the students consider how to represent themselves, and then the instructor may further extend the conversation according to how the students have already begun the construction process. For example, if upon reflection they do not feel terms like gay or transgender fit their experience, students may shape their own way of expressing themselves in English, perhaps by introducing a non-English or invented term, or by challenging the cultural conventions of words like feminine or gay (Kumashiro, 1999). In this case, the instructor used a video released by Rela, a Chinese queer advocacy group, in which a person on a Shanghai street stood, blindfolded, arms outstretched, with a shirt labeled in English and Chinese: “I am gay. Will you hug me?” (Rela, 2017). Throughout the video, numerous individuals initially walked by. However, as time passed, one person after another stopped to offer a hug and often words of encouragement. This trend continued to increase as more people joined in. Students were encouraged to make their own observations and discuss what they saw first, not merely about queer rights, but also social activism in general. The pictures allowed students to experience and discuss in English different approaches to gender, and after that encounter ideas popular in the United States. When interviewed, the students reflected positively about explicit discussions of queer issues. Nine out of 16 students reported that they appreciated the opportunity to share their opinions on issues taboo in China, and most students commented that the discussions allowed them to reflect upon their own stereotypes toward diversity, specifically gender diversity. This opportunity also led to greater self-awareness and acceptance and increased confidence in their own English, as one student commented: “I appreciated that [the instructor] discussed LGBTQ+ and native–nonnative speakers, these kinds of topics in class; otherwise, I would not know so much in English and learn to accept who we are.” Paranational classrooms are characterized by having students from different cultures and transitioning (or not) into other different cultures rather than being from or assimilating into any one culture as a point of reference (McGuire & Weng, 2023); thus, for paranational students, many ideas may seem to only exist in a culture they are learning about rather than within a culture they are familiar with or seeking to participate in. This problem can be mitigated through strategic instruction and selection of materials. Queerness can seem like a U.S. experience, and for some students to embrace their own queerness comes at the expense of their larger cultural identities, if not becoming a kind of betrayal (Kumashiro, 1999). In this case, for Chinese students coming from a culture where queer people are numerous but struggling, the need to participate in conversations about queerness with real agency in ways relevant to them represented an opportunity for developing their own voice and identity while using a target language. Non-lexical materials and open discussion questions can allow ESL students to explore queer identities for themselves, thereby avoiding the feeling that they are silenced by U.S. or queer voices, and instead, perhaps, allowing the feeling that the words of queer people may echo their own. Mark A. McGuire is a doctoral candidate at The Ohio State University. He has been teaching university English as a foreign or second language (EFL/ESL) courses for more than 10 years, in China and in the United States. His interests include the identity and pragmatic development of English users according to usage-based theories of language. Zhenjie Weng is an assistant professor in English language in the Language and Culture Center at Duke Kunshan University. Her research focuses on second language writing, language teacher education, queer pedagogy in ELT, and translanguaging.