S U P P OR T ING TRA NSGE NDE R & G END ER NO NCO NF O R M I NG S T U D E N TS
Continued from page 13
them during the class and worry that they
might be called on to explain or teach their
peers. They are not the target audience
and are not likely to learn new information
themselves during class. That said, seeing
their issues addressed and witnessing their
classmates engaged in learning can be re-
markably affirming. It is likewise affirming
for students who may be questioning their
gender identity but do not yet have the vo-
cabulary or understanding to seek support
and guidance. Teachers need to remember
that it is their job to be knowledgeable
about the content and to teach it without
drawing unnecessary attention.
Strong schools also make space for discus-
sion among the community as a whole and
by providing affinity space for underrepre-
sented students, families, and staff. These
two types of experiences actually have
opposite purposes: community-wide en-
gagement on an issue such as transgender
people are largely for the benefit of the cis-
gender community since they are designed
to provide windows into the transgender
experience for those without a reference
point. Transgender individuals and family
members already have this experience first-
hand and, therefore, need the opportunity
to connect with other trans people to un-
pack their personal experiences.
Support affinity space for any groups that
are seeking community within your com-
munity. Sometimes people from the domi-
nant groups feel threatened or uncom-
fortable with affinity spaces to which they
Page 14 Summer 2019
“Like other minority
groups, transgender
people and their families
are often asked to speak
for their entire com-
munity. For students,
this can be particularly
problematic...”
are not welcomed, but we must value the
needs of our underrepresented groups de-
spite this discomfort. Depending on the
size of your community and the number of
LGBT students and families, you may need
to have a group that mixes all of these con-
stituencies in order to get critical mass. As
you move forward, make space for more
general groups to break into smaller, more
specific groups such as parents of transgen-
der students or transgender students meet-
ing separately from LGB students, since
those are very different experiences.
Give Transgender Students Space to “Be”
Their Gender
Like other minority groups, transgender
people and their families are often asked
to speak for their entire community. For
students, this can be particularly problem-
atic since their goal is often to be treated
as their preferred gender without bringing
extra attention to being transgender. This
is in contrast to lesbian, gay, and bisexual
CSEE Connections