Gender and sexualities are intertwined with the everyday practices and cultures of schools and educational institutions, often as part of self-evident daily routines that remain unnoticed by and invisible to teachers and students. When gender and sexuality are raised as topics in this context, they are usually seen and experienced as something frightening and problematic. Teachers may feel helpless when confronting conflicts related to gender and sexualities; they might also feel that there is a need for new tools to establish a culture where gender equality and anti-discrimination in terms of sexual diversity are acknowledged. This symposium aims at raising the issues of gender and sexualities in teacher training and higher education based on research and experiences gathered in projects that advocate new methods of tackling gender and sexual diversity in educational institutions. The research projects presented in the symposium cover topics such as changes in teacher training programs, attitudes of teacher trainees and teachers, school cultures and teachers as agents of change, and researchers and teachers at institutions of higher education. All the presentations include analysis from the perspectives of gender, sexuality and/or other differences, as well as of how these intersect with each other. The symposium gathers researchers from six different countries and is divided in two parts, with five presentations in each.  This is part one.