Transgender People and Education by Clare Bartholomaeus & Damien W. Riggs

Author:Clare Bartholomaeus & Damien W. Riggs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan US, New York

Child has a group of close girlfriends whose parents are aware child was born male but who invite child to birthday parties, play dates, sleepovers and allow their children to play, sleepover and attend our family celebrations. Families at the school who do not have a direct link to the child make the assumption she is female. Child has never been mistaken for a boy by anyone she’s had contact with. (Mother of an 11-year-old transgender daughter)

In these quotes, the parents were asked about how teachers “can best support my child”, and parents proactively discussed issues with their child’s teacher. As we noted earlier in this chapter, this type of injunction to proactively advocate for a child is potentially a considerable demand placed upon parents. However, in the instances described above, it would appear to have had positive outcomes, including a willingness for support and action by teachers. In addition to such accounts of inclusion arising from advocacy, the quotes above also indicate that what constitutes a positive experience may, for many parents, be that their child is simply “accepted” as they are. Given the importance of supporting and affirming transgender children, such as in terms of mental health outcomes (Olson et al. 2016), it is understandable that parents would view “acceptance” as constituting a positive experience with schools.

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