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Peter Cava, PhD, is a senior instructor, course coordinator, and subject matter expert in women's, gender, and sexuality studies; a faculty affiliate in African and African American Studies; and a recipient of the Outstanding Instructor award at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
As a scholar, Dr. Cava focuses on transgender politics and screen cultures. Dr. Cava's writings have been published in Films for the Feminist Classroom; the Journal of American Culture; Ñanduty; QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking; Trans Bodies, Trans Selves; and The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies. Their current research analyzes the history of interactions between transgender politics and US science fiction television. |
As an educator and consultant, Dr. Cava has taught more than 100 sections of courses in the humanities and social sciences and has facilitated more than 1,000 writing consultations. Their courses developed include a series of Honors seminars in transgender studies and queer studies. Their newest curricular innovation is SIFTed and SIFTable Research: AI-Aware Best Practices, a tutorial that guides students in evaluating whether and how to engage AI or resist AI during the research process.
As a public speaker and event planner, Dr. Cava has delivered many presentations and workshops. For example, Dr. Cava delivered a workshop on trans feminism at the Florida NOW Annual Conference. This workshop, along with the labor of NOW members Meredith Ockman and Heather Wright, led to the passage of Florida NOW's first trans feminist resolution. More recently, Dr. Cava, along with LSU colleague Danielle Thomas, designed a workshop on how educators can integrate career readiness into their pedagogy. Conferences that Dr. Cava has co-planned include the Florida Consortium for Women’s Studies; the Transecting Society Conference: Affirming Trans* Lives, Advancing Trans* Politics; and the WGS South Annual Conference.
As an activist, Dr. Cava has engaged in community service and advocacy work. For example, Dr. Cava founded the Trans* Initiative. The asterisk in the name signifies the intention to be inclusive of a broad spectrum of gendered embodiments, identities, and expressions. The initiative's accomplishments include holding an annual trans forum, compiling a directory of resources about trans-inclusive higher education, organizing a successful campaign for trans-accessible restrooms, advising health care providers on how to meet trans health needs, and creating a short guide to trans recognition in the classroom.
Dr. Cava holds a BA in Communication from Grove City College, an MA in Ecumenical Studies from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, and a PhD in Comparative Studies from Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Cava’s other awards and honors include the Feminist Scholarship, the Lynn-Wold-Schmidt Peace Studies Fellowship, the Patricia M. Courtenay Doctoral Fellowship, the Peace Studies Joan Joseph Foundation Scholarship, and the World Journalism Institute’s designation of fellow.
Last updated August 7, 2026
As a public speaker and event planner, Dr. Cava has delivered many presentations and workshops. For example, Dr. Cava delivered a workshop on trans feminism at the Florida NOW Annual Conference. This workshop, along with the labor of NOW members Meredith Ockman and Heather Wright, led to the passage of Florida NOW's first trans feminist resolution. More recently, Dr. Cava, along with LSU colleague Danielle Thomas, designed a workshop on how educators can integrate career readiness into their pedagogy. Conferences that Dr. Cava has co-planned include the Florida Consortium for Women’s Studies; the Transecting Society Conference: Affirming Trans* Lives, Advancing Trans* Politics; and the WGS South Annual Conference.
As an activist, Dr. Cava has engaged in community service and advocacy work. For example, Dr. Cava founded the Trans* Initiative. The asterisk in the name signifies the intention to be inclusive of a broad spectrum of gendered embodiments, identities, and expressions. The initiative's accomplishments include holding an annual trans forum, compiling a directory of resources about trans-inclusive higher education, organizing a successful campaign for trans-accessible restrooms, advising health care providers on how to meet trans health needs, and creating a short guide to trans recognition in the classroom.
Dr. Cava holds a BA in Communication from Grove City College, an MA in Ecumenical Studies from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, and a PhD in Comparative Studies from Florida Atlantic University. Dr. Cava’s other awards and honors include the Feminist Scholarship, the Lynn-Wold-Schmidt Peace Studies Fellowship, the Patricia M. Courtenay Doctoral Fellowship, the Peace Studies Joan Joseph Foundation Scholarship, and the World Journalism Institute’s designation of fellow.
Last updated August 7, 2026