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Privacy and confidentiality:
Maximize privacy and confidentiality of any information related to a trans person's gender identity.
Keep transgender history and medical information private and limited to relevant individuals.
Ensure all information remains exclusively with designated personnel in a secure filing system.
Identification documentation and records:
Recognize a trans person's preferred name and gender in all administrative systems and documents.
Justify any requirement for a person's "legal" name and gender in the circumstances.
Modify electronic databases and IT systems to recognize a person's chosen name and gender.
Collecting data on sex and gender:
Consider the legitimate need to collect information about sex/gender and provide inclusive options.
Allow individuals to self-identify their sex or gender identity to the greatest extent possible.
Protect any information indicating transgender status as confidential.
Policy on preventing discrimination because of gender identity and gender expression:
Develop dress code policies free from gender stereotypes and applicable to all regardless of gender identity or expression.
Ensure washroom and change facilities policies recognize the right of trans people to access facilities based on their lived gender identity.
Implement guidelines for organization gender transition to support transitioning employees effectively.
Individualized gender transition accommodation plan:
Create a transition plan in collaboration with the employee, employer, and union representatives (if involved).
Address specific accommodations needed in the workplace related to the transition process.
Discuss timelines and steps for updating employment records, informing others, providing anti-harassment measures, and offering training and support.
Martino, W. (2022). Supporting transgender students and gender-expansive education in schools: Investigating policy, pedagogy, and curricular implications. Teachers College Record, 124(8), 3–16. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/01614681221121513
The article "Supporting Transgender Students and Gender-Expansive Education in Schools: Investigating Policy, Pedagogy, and Curricular Implications" delves into the challenges faced by transgender and gender-expansive students in educational settings and explores the policy, pedagogical, and curricular interventions needed to support their well-being and success.
Experiences of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students: The article highlights the prevalence of harassment, violence, and exclusion experienced by transgender and gender-expansive youth in schools. Trans youth of color face additional challenges due to systemic racism exacerbating the stress of their transition. Research from various countries, including Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia, indicates widespread harassment and poor mental health outcomes among transgender students, with high rates of verbal and physical assault based on gender expression and ethnicity.
Policy and Legislative Landscape: Despite some improvements in the development of inclusive policies and legislation over the past decade, transgender students continue to face significant levels of harassment in schools. Anti-trans legislation and rhetoric, driven by right-wing political agendas, pose further challenges. Examples include attempts to ban trans students from participating in sports and the introduction of laws targeting gender non-conformity in young people.
Pedagogical and Curriculum Implications: The article emphasizes the need for deeper investigation into policies, pedagogical practices, and curricular approaches that support transgender and non-binary children and youth. Current efforts often rely on individualized approaches, but there is a lack of teacher knowledge and support for educating about gender expansiveness. There is a call for policies and practices that address systemic barriers such as transphobia, cisgenderism, and racism in schools.
Teacher Education and Professional Development: Teacher education programs need to incorporate training on gender diversity and anti-oppressive education grounded in intersectional understandings of gender, race, ethnicity, social class, sexuality, and ability. There is a need to challenge unarticulated norms governing professional conduct for teachers and ensure that teacher candidates feel empowered to express their gender identity without fear of discrimination. However, the implementation of policies in schools requires adequate resources for training and monitoring.
Creating Inclusive School Spaces: The article advocates for the creation of gender-expansive learning environments that go beyond simple accommodations, such as neutral washrooms, to address the structural and cultural barriers that limit the well-being and success of transgender and gender-expansive students. This involves adopting a staged model of trans inclusion and fostering socially resistant spaces, such as Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), where students can engage in identity work and advocacy.
Overall, the article underscores the importance of addressing systemic barriers and enacting transformative policies and practices to support the well-being and educational success of transgender and gender-expansive students in schools.