Adam Caliri is a current graduate student in our English graduate program. Over spring break Adam attended the 2025 Annual Conference for the College English Association- Mid Atlantic Group where he presented his paper entitled “The Danger of Queer Erasure in North Carolina's Parents’ Bill of Rights.” His paper went on to be awarded the Chris Bell Award for Best Graduate Student Paper!
Adam’s paper is a rhetorical analysis of two lines in the NC Parents’ Bill of Rights that target queer people and representation in grades kindergarten through twelfth. The bill states that a student’s name or pronouns cannot be changed without parental notice and instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality cannot be included in the curriculum for grades kindergarten through fourth. Adam’s analysis uses ideas from Kenneth Burke, Louis Althusser, and Judith Butler to show how students will be limited in their exposure to witnessing queer representation. Adam argues that these nationwide laws can lead to socially erasing queerness in schools tying back to the reported decline of the queer youth’s mental health.
The paper was initially written for his rhetorical theory class with Dr. Savannah Paige Murray; however, Adam was inspired by his experiences in undergrad. Having his undergraduate degree in Middle Grades Education, he was placed for field experience in a local middle school after the bill had been passed. There was a lot of anxiety surrounding the bill by his peers, in-service teachers, and especially Adam who is a queer educator. He wanted to build his knowledge on the implications of this bill and highlight the possible negative effects on queer youth.
Getting this award is an honor for Adam. In our interview, he highlighted that the legacy behind who the award is named after, Chris Bell, was a big part of what having this award meant to him. Chris Bell was a cultural studies scholar who focused on the intersectionality of race, disability, and sexuality. It means a lot to Adam to now be tied to Bell’s work. Adam recently submitted his paper to an academic journal. Outside of this project, Adam’s current research includes how teachers are responding to the use of scripted curricula. He says it has been interesting seeing the different approaches teachers have been taking to subvert the scripts to do what is best for their students.
Written by Jacey Widner
Adam Caliri headshot
Adam Caliri headshot