Art as Armor: Trans* Youth Resilience and Empowerment in Texas

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Queer Ethics of Care in Education Research and Praxis (Table 7)

Abstract

This study employs Youth Participatory Action Research to explore how transgender and gender-diverse youth in Texas navigate and resist oppression through art and writing. Responding to legislation restricting gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ rights, we partnered with a nonprofit to create a summer camp focused on wellbeing, resilience, and self-expression for trans* youth. Four trans* youth led the camp's evolution from writing-centered to arts-based, culminating in a public exhibition. Drawing on critical pedagogy and arts-based research methods, we analyze how participants used creative expression to articulate experiences, build resilience, and challenge dominant narratives. Findings suggest that youth-led, arts-based interventions can foster resilience, community connections, and activist identities among trans* youth facing hostile political environments.

Authors

• Shanna Peeples, West Texas A&M University

• Nicole Butkovich Kraus, West Texas A&M University