Trans* Academics' Perspectives About Informal Practices That Create Supportive, Neutral, or Hostile Academic Workplaces

• In Event: Faculty Identities and Academic Workplaces

Abstract

Little empirical research exists about the experiences of trans* faculty. Despite numerous calls addressing the need for a diverse faculty reflective of the student populations served, trans* faculty are not yet explicitly included within these calls. Using an organizational approach, this study sought to understand the ways in which higher education institutions created supportive, neutral, or hostile workplace climates for trans* academics. Drawing on interview data from 37 trans* academics, I describe how logics of possibility and impossibility shape the workplaces experiences of trans* academics. Findings indicate that the assumptions of the cisgender binary can adversely affect the workplace experiences of trans* academics.

Author

• Erich N. Pitcher, Michigan State University