“It’s survival mode”: Exploring how an indigenous trans* student of color (per)forms identity while transgressing space.

Abstract

Literature exploring postsecondary undergraduate student experiences at the nexus of queerness, trans * ness, and Indigeneity remains relatively scant, as does scholarship taking a geospatial lens to understand the experiences of trans * collegians. Given the settler colonial history of higher education as a field and the colonial nature of the relationships between universities and the land they occupy, it is important to center Indigenous students and their relationship with land to understand the ways institutions perpetuate oppression against Indigenous students, particularly those holding multiple systemically minoritized identities. This qualitative, theoretically driven piece explores the narrative of Alonso (pseudonym), a nonbinary, genderfluid, Indigenous, biracial undergraduate Student of Color, to interrogate how they perform and understand their gender identity across a multitude of spaces. Drawing from geography, anthropology, queer theory, and Indigenous studies, I build a critical, queer understanding of space and mobility as a theoretical lens through which I analyze Alonso's experiences both on and off of their college campus. By ascertaining the conceived, perceived, and lived spatial meaning Alonso derives from these spaces, it becomes possible to explore how they make sense of their various social identities, how these identities are performed in collegiate academic spaces, and how their identities shape their collegiate academic journey as an Indigenous, trans * Student of Color. Findings underscore the potential of geospatial frameworks in scholarship with trans * collegians and speak to the importance of decentering white, Eurocentric ways of knowing both in the classroom and in research.

A literature review of campus climate in higher education literature: Native and Black perspectives.

“…This speaks to the criticality of conceptually “moving beyond the asterisk,” especially in research about Indigenous students’ perspectives and experiences (Shotton et al, 2013). Gutzwa (2022) research titled “It’s Survival Mode”: Exploring How an Indigenous Trans* Student of Color (Per)forms Identity While Transgressing Space , is an example using ethnography with populations that need consideration.…”

A (TRANS)formative approach to gender‐inclusive science education

“…This sample is one of the highest reported for research involving trans teachers and exceeds the minimum suggested requirements (six to eight individuals) for a qualitative inquiry of this kind (Alase, 2017; Dare et al, 2018). Table 1 includes participants' pseudonyms and their intersecting social identities as they related to the study (modeled after Gutzwa, 2021). The majority of information presented was collected in a demographics survey that inquired into self‐reported gender descriptors, pronouns, race/ethnicity, teaching history, school information, and whether or not the teachers identified as disabled.…”

“…When students see themselves represented in curriculum and classroom environments they experience increased senses of belonging, validation, and self-esteem (Bazzul & Sykes, 2011;Dzurick, 2018;Fifield & Letts, 2014). However, others have cautioned against tokenistic practices such as one-time, "special" lessons about gender and sexual diversity as these can contribute to a feeling of otherness and can create a lack of trust between LGBTQ+ students and their teachers (Gutzwa, 2021;Keenan, 2017;Letts, 2002;Long et al, 2021;Wright & Delgado, 2023).…”