At the Margins: Comparing School Experiences of Nonbinary and Binary‐Identified Transgender Youth

Abstract

BACKGROUND Transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming (TNG) young people are a diverse group, including young people with gender identities beyond the gender binary. Whereas nonbinary youth experience disparities in victimization and mental health, school belonging, support, and resources have not been well described. METHODSWe conducted an online survey of TNG young people (ages 12-22) in Wisconsin to assess school belonging, safety, support, and resources. We compared responses among participants with nonbinary versus binary identities using mulvariate analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of covariance, chi-square and logistic regression analysis. RESULTSA total of 287 TNG young people met inclusion criteria (average age 18.2 ± 2.5 years). More than 40% of participants identified as nonbinary. Nonbinary participants were less likely to be out to teachers, but more likely to utilize supportive staff as a resource compared to binary-identified TNG peers. There were no significant differences in school safety and belonging.CONCLUSIONS Most school experiences do not vary significantly between TNG young people with binary versus nonbinary gender identities, though nonbinary young people are less likely to be out at school. Future research should examine factors that impact whether nonbinary young people share their gender identity and access school support services.Citation: Allen BJ, Andert B, Botsford J, Budge SL, Rehm JL. At the margins: comparing school experiences of nonbinary and binary-identified transgender youth.T ransgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming (TNG) people have been increasingly recognized as a diverse group including individuals that span geography and culture. 1-3 Day-to-day stress related to discrimination, internalized and externalized transphobia, and victimization, well-outlined in the Intersectional Ecological Model of LGBTQ health, is a widely accepted explanation for mental health and a Assistant Professor, (bjallen@pediatrics.wisc.edu), Indicates CHES continuing education hours are available. Also available at http://www.ashaweb.org/continuing_education.html physical health as well as socioeconomic disparities seen in TNG populations. 4 For most young people, school experiences are central in the day-to-day structure of their lives and social relationships; therefore, experiences of discrimination, safety, and belonging at school are critical to understand in assessing how these environments impact the wellness of TNG young people.

‘I wasn’t allowed to join the boys’: The ideology of cultural cisgenderism in a UK school

“…This is also supported by Ingrey (2012) who highlights misrecognition in public toilets due to gender non-conformity, and is particularly problematic as past research suggests the majority of trans pupils are unable to use their preferred toilets in schools (Stonewall 2017). When a trans person is crossing gender lines or has an ambiguous gender identity, they may have to reveal their trans identity to others (Allen et al 2020). Thus, Joe's comment suggests many trans people have no choice but to 'come out', even if they are not ready to do so.…”

“…The term 'trans' is an umbrella term referring to a range of different gender identities which are 'non-normative', whereby someone's physical sex and the social expectations related to this do not align (Allen et al 2020;Matsuno and Budge 2017). While sex concerns a person's physical characteristics and biology which usually assigns them as either male or female, gender refers to a spectrum of identities and a person's internal sense of self, usually dictated by social and cultural norms (Matsuno and Budge 2017).…”

“…This is vital to better understand trans pupils' feelings of safety and belonging in schools, alongside systemic issues which erase and invalidate trans pupils' identities in this environment. In turn, this understanding has the potential to transform inclusive practice in schools, environments which are a central part to children's daily lives (Allen et al 2020); this is particularly important as children often explore their gender identities at a young age (Foley et al 2016). Due to societal and cultural ideas around gender conformity, research has suggested that schools can be unsafe spaces for trans youth (Luecke 2018;McGuire et al 2010).…”

Minority Stress, Coping, and Transgender Youth in Schools—Results from the Resilience and Transgender Youth Study

“…For example, while our interview sample included many youth of color, interview questions focused on gender‐related stressors, and so stressors related to race may have been underreported. Additionally, our research questions did not take on the diversity of gender identities among transgender youth, and additional work may be needed to understand differences in the stress and coping process between binary and nonbinary transgender youth in school 26 . Finally, we were unable to recruit a racially diverse sample of teenagers for focus groups, so further research may be needed to assess the validity of findings with adolescents of color.…”

Reproductive health risks and clinician practices with gender diverse adolescents and young adults

“…We further discuss the discrepancies and summarize the unknown topics, which we believe will be helpful for future research. With a steadily increasing number of TGD youth seeking hormonal interventions at earlier ages, 6,81 these discussions are becoming more clinically and ethically complex. Beyond structural barriers such as cost, clinicians must address the AYA's competing demands (ie urgency to start treatment) and developmental factors, in addition to family dynamics (eg discordance between AYAs' and parents' perspectives) and access barriers.…”