This paper explores the intersection of language and gender within a cross-institutional project in which future language teachers and students of applied linguistics collaboratively investigated educational practices in diverse contexts. The eight-month project in the UK and Switzerland examined how gender is addressed in and beyond the classroom. Qualitative data were collected through four recorded virtual reading sessions, two school visits, cultural events, and an academic presentation on gender, religion, and race. Using ethnographic and discourse analysis, we examine dominant discursive elements in the students’ projects, linking insights from readings on intersectional feminism and gender theory with observations from school visits and discussions following gender-related cultural inputs. Findings show that students struggled to engage deeply with the concept of intersectionality or to connect theoretical ideas with lived instances of inequality that shape pedagogical practice. Discussions on non-binary gender tended to remain within heteronormative frameworks, despite efforts to introduce queer perspectives and Black intersectional feminism. We conclude by raising questions about the role of teacher trainers in broadening students’ perspectives on gender and the challenges of fostering an inclusive curriculum that reflects the complexities of gender and sexuality – particularly within temporal constraints that create unrealistic expectations for immediate, visible change.