Nonfinancial Barriers of Queer and Trans Young Black Women Transitioning to Postsecondary Education

• In Event: 34.084 - Queering Access, Inclusion, and Equity in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a preliminary study of non-financial barriers facing queer and trans young Black women attempting to transition from high school to post-secondary education. The study is based on analysis of focus groups and interviews with 14 queer and trans young Black women 18-29 years-old in Toronto, Ontario who were not attending a Canadian post-secondary education institution at the time of the study. Findings revealed several barriers, personal and systemic, related to intersecting identities and social forces in participants’ families, schools and communities. In conclusion, we discuss how study findings can help build an evidence base to guide the work of Ontario’s post-secondary Education Connectors (PSEC) initiative which places post-secondary advisors in community-based organizations.

Authors

• Lance Trevor McCready, University of Toronto

• Tanitia Munroe, University of Toronto

• Kim Borden Penney, University of Toronto