Page 14 | Autumn 2022 Talking about gender and sexual diversity in education continued
diversity — in education and elsewhere — is not done yet . And , even where gains have been made , I think it ’ s important not to take these gains for granted .
Fritz : There are still so many challenges . Part of it sometimes is the reluctance in the field of education to create change on their curriculum that does not center on the heteronormative . There is still backlash from conservative groups even around the existence of queer and trans people in the academy .
Kyla : The challenges include a lack of knowledge and capacity ; fear of " backlash " and lack of support ; absence of policy and procedures ; competing " priorities "; and a lack of government leadership .
j wallace skelton : Many teachers don ' t receive any training on how to create safe and celebratory environments for 2SLGBTQA + people . Even teachers who want to be supportive may be unclear about how to do that , or if they are allowed to .
Schools are often not safe for 2SLGBTQA + people . Sexism , heterosexism , and cissexism continue to be the culture of most schools . Homophobia and transphobia continue to negatively impact staff and students .
Students who are outside of heterosexuality or cissexuality continue to experience the epistemic injustice of being denied access to words for their own identities , to histories , and to possibility models . Schools often don ' t have text books , curriculum materials , images , and other forms of representation . What they do have is often by and about White , able bodied people living middle class lives .
There is a rising conservative backlash that is making schools less safe for 2SLGBTQ students and for educators who are doing 2SLGBTQ work .
Jacq : I think that the rise in transmisogyny as a political strategy is really alarming . While some might think that this is only happening in the extremes in places like Florida , where we recently saw the Governor ban trans affirming health care for children , we ' re seeing this transmisogyny manifest in our own backyards . Recently , a Drag Queen Storytime event was protested in Saskatoon , and although it may be easy to simply describe this as homophobia , trans women and trans feminine people are overwhelmingly the targets for this kind of rhetoric and violence . Those who study this transphobia have made direct links between transphobia and fascism , and while some people may accuse me of overexaggerating or being www2 . uregina . ca / education / news