Issues surrounding gays, lesbians and bisexuals throughout an educational environment sparked long ago due to the fact that “Christian fundamentalists believed that discussing homosexuality in any thing but condemnatory terms promoted deviant and immoral sexual behavior that placed innocent youth at risk.” (Griffin, P. & Oullett, M. 2010. p. 109). This particular view evidently opposed views of advocates for lesbian and gay youth, arguing that schools were in turn unsafe environments, where these particular students were subject to harassment. Over time, therefore, homosexuality throughout education has become a large topic that has seen a vast increase in academic writings in regards the treatments of gays, lesbians and bisexuals throughout a schooling environment. However, among all of this, it is evidently highlighted that there is a lack of insight into transgender and their role in educational environments. Although in more recent years transgender has been focused more so upon in educational literature, schools and educational facilities must understand that there is a difference between gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender.
“Gender oppression is inextricably intertwined with heterosexism and homophobia in schools, but educators and researchers must not assume that the experiences of gender non-conforming youth are the same as their LGB peers. School policy and practice with regard to transgender youth need to be guided by useful and accurate information, which to date, we simply do not have.” (Griffin, P. & Oullett, M. 2010. p. 111). In relation to this idea that even in the modern world we lack correct information and understanding in regards transgender, the following information retrieved from an article that was released in March this year, closely demonstrates how the future landscape of education in regards transgender is going to have to dramatically shift.
Coy Mathis a six year old transgender girl was recently denied access to the girls bathrooms by her school, advising her that she either use the boys, or the nurses bathroom instead. At only 18 months of age Coy began to develop features and behaviors that indicated she was a girl (born a male), naturally her parents were furious and filed a civil rights law suit against her school in Colorado. "It set her up for a lot of harassment and it wasn't a place where we were able to let her be because we want her to be safe and we want her to be healthy." (http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/news-features/live-life-as-a-girl-transgender-childs-parents-sue-school-20130301-2fatj.html) stated Coy’s mother, Kathryn Mavis. Coy’s story was pursued by the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund with high hopes that the case will have large consequences.
Personally through researching this particular article I am lead to understand that there is indeed a lack of understanding and sensitivity towards transgender people throughout the education system. Much alike any other child Coy’s age she has the right to go to the bathroom without being questioned or told otherwise. Her parents have every right to protect her in her young age and in my beliefs they have set a great example for struggling parents out there. I believe that there needs to be more corrected measures and rules that need to be established throughout schools in regards transgender, they do however need to be made through a correct use of relevant information and consideration of transgender rights.
REFERENCES
Griffin, P. & Oullett, M. (2010). Equity and Excellence in Education: From Silence to Safety and Beyond: Historical Trends in Addressing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Isssues in K-12 Schools. Retrieved: October 19, 2013, from http://www.tandfonline.com.wwwproxy0.library.unsw.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/10665680303508
‘Live Life as a Girl’: Transgender Child’s Parents Sue School. 2013. Retrieved: Ocotber 19, 2013, from http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/news-features/live-life-as-a-girl-transgender-childs-parents-sue-school-20130301-2fatj.html
I completely agree that there needs to be greater understanding and sensitivity towards transgender and gender-confused students.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a similar blog reacting to an article about a similar situation and I came away concerned about the two binary gender categories which dominate society as well as education. As noted by Wadham et al, the genitalia of the genders has been symbolically interpreted as the basic fundamental difference between genders throughout Western cultural history. But are these categories still relevant? And how do we approach these categories in education when male/female is one of the most prevalent ways of categorising students? In particular, I wonder about the future of single sex schools, and I feel concerned for students with gender confusion who attend these schools. Is our boy/girl classification system outdated?