Hi, I'm Jax, a youth worker & community organizer based in denver, Colorado. 

Jax J. Gonzalez completed their PhD in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. They are the Program Manager for OASOS, the LGBTQ+ youth serving program at Boulder County Public Health.

Born of a desire to work directly with students and improve their teaching practice, they completed a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the School of Education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A first-generation college student and queer activist, Jax has dedicated their academic career to emancipatory sociology that centers and uplifts youth voices in the classroom.

In 2016, they earned their Masters in Sociology and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality studies at Brandeis University, establishing a research agenda centered on personal identity at the intersection of education, embodiment, and health. Their thesis explored the impact of educator subjectivities in elementary school health curricula and how educators manage “teaching the taboo.” 

With an interest in liberation and abolitionist teaching practices, their dissertation investigates not only the problem, but solutions to heteronormativity and white supremacy in schools. In their project, they collaborate with teacher candidates and high school sociology apprentices to explore how disrupting heteronormativity in teacher education impacts pre-service teachers gender, racial and sexual ideologies and teaching practices.

Jax is based in Denver, Colorado and when they aren't working toward collective liberation, they throw pottery, explore hot springs & play with their tiny dog Nora. They are available  to consult on curriculum development, best practices for gender & sexual diversity in schools, and for collaboration.