66.059 - Oppression or Liberation? Realities and Possibilities of Institutional Action for Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

A growng body of research on school climate for transgender and gender nonconforming ("trans /gnc”) youth has documented high levels of interpersonal violence. Less attention has been given to the institutional policies and practices that may perpetuate this hostile climate or, alternatively, could challenge this climate or alleviate its effects. The papers in this session focus on the school as institution, examining the ways in which official policies and unofficial practices shape the school environment for trans/gnc youth. By examining how institutions and institutional actors function both as sites of oppression and of potential liberation, these papers shed light on the power of schools to organize and police gender while also providing possible opportunities and future directions for social change.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Critical Educators for Social Justice

Chair

• Emily Greytak, GLSEN:Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network

Papers

• The Impact of School Gender Climate on School Outcomes for Australian Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Students - Jacqueline Ullman, University of Western Sydney

• Policing (Trans)Gender: Extent and Effects of Institutional Discrimination Against Transgender and Genderqueer Students - Emily Greytak, GLSEN:Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network; Neal A. Palmer, GLSEN:Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network

• Institutional Barriers, Regulatory Practices, and the Positionality of Educators Working With Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Youth - Hélène Frohard-Dourlent, The University of British Columbia

• Pedagogies of Exposure and Courageous Conversations: Preparing Teachers for Gender Diversity in the Classroom - Elizabeth J. Meyer, University of Colorado - Boulder