Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Many LGBTQ+ music teachers in US states lack employment discrimination protections and/or are often exposed to microaggressions such as microinsults, microassaults, and microinvalidations in the workplace. As a result, LGBTQ+ teachers are at higher risk of experiencing mental health challenges due to chronic minority stressors such as expectations of rejection, concealment, and internalized homophobia. In this duoethnography, the authors share depictions of teaching as closeted LGBTQ+ early-career music teachers to describe instances and situations that negatively impacted their mental health. First, a bricolage of emotionally charged statements is shared as a means for the reader to connect empathetically to the feelings associated with workplace causes of mental health distress. Second, the authors share constructed dialogues where they compare their experiences and interpret them using the minority stress theory framework to show the ways in which workplace stressors can be harmful to one’s mental health. These depictions elucidate the need for stronger allyship, specialized mentorship, and mental health supports for LGBTQ+ teachers throughout their career.</jats:p>