Faculty Perceptions of Chosen Name/Pronoun Policies and Nonbinary Pronouns

• In Event: 45.079 - Transgender and Gender-Expansive Youth: Supporting and Affirming Queer Identities

Abstract

Policies allowing students to indicate chosen names and pronouns offer transgender students crucial support while also helping create more gender-inclusive campuses. Successful implementation of these policies requires educated, supportive faculty. This case study examines faculty experiences and perceptions regarding a chosen names program and students' use of non-binary pronouns. I found broad support for both, but some faculty either resisted or had struggled to use non-binary pronouns. I read these experiences through Airton’s (2018) “extra/excessive effort” framework related to non-binary pronouns. I also draw on a framework for understanding transgender identity through "being" narratives focused on internal identity rather than "becoming" narratives focused on bodily transformation. I offer implications for faculty training and institutional support.

Author

• Heather Killelea McEntarfer, SUNY - College at Fredonia