Barriers and Supports to Building Inclusive Schools for Gender Creative and Transgender Youth

• In Event: 512 - Section on Sex and Gender Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 04. Inequalities and Education

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a national study on the experiences of educators working with gender creative and transgender students in Pre-K-12 schools. Data were collected in interviews with 26 professional educators who had direct experience working with “any child whose behavior does not match the stereotypes for their sex assigned at birth, or who identifies with a gender different from their sex assigned at birth”. Educators described structural barriers and supports from their experiences working directly with these youth. The findings from this study offer important insights for teacher preparation, curriculum inclusion, policy reforms, as well as school climate initiatives in order to create schools that are more inclusive of gender diversity.

Author

• Elizabeth J. Meyer, California State Polytechnic University-San Luis Obispo