This article situates transgender studies in education within related bodies of education research literature to highlight this field as an important emerging area of scholarship. This scholarship is key for scholars centering gender, equity, and liberation as priorities to engage with since transgender epistemologies can add strength, nuance, and criticality to education research and practice. The purpose of this article is to clearly identify the history of harmful gender ideologies and practices embedded in everyday structures and practices of K–12 schools that have been documented and amplified in education research. I argue that by drawing from transgender studies and epistemologies, education researchers can move toward more liberatory scholarship and educational practices.
AirtonL. (2009). Untangling “gender diversity”: Genderism and its discontents (i.e., everyone). In SteinbergS. (Ed.), Diversity and multiculturalism: A reader (pp. 223–245). Peter Lang.
2.
AirtonL. (2018). The de/politicization of pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal campaign for gender-expansive educational policy and practice. Gender and Education, 30(6), 790–810. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2018.1483489
3.
AnzaldúaG. (1987). Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Aunt Lute Books.
BrockenbroughE. (2015). Queer of color agency in educational contexts: Analytic frameworks from a queer of color critique. Educational Studies, 51(1), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2014.979929
8.
BryanJ. (2012). From the dress–up corner to the senior prom: Navigating gender and sexuality diversity in preK–12 schools. Rowman Littlefield.
9.
BrysonM.De CastellS. (1993). Queer pedagogy: Praxis makes im/perfect. Canadian Journal of Education, 18(3), 285–305. https://doi.org/10.2307/1495388
Combahee River Collective. (1997). A black feminist statement. In NicholsonL. (Ed.), The second wave: A reader in feminist theory (pp. 63–70). Routledge. (Original work published 1977)
12.
ConnellR. W. (1989). Cool guys, swots and wimps: The interplay of masculinity and education. Oxford Review of Education, 15(3), 291–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305498890150309
13.
ConnellR. W. (1995). Masculinities. Allen & Unwin.
14.
CrenshawK. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039
15.
CruzC. (2001). Toward an epistemology of a brown body. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 14(5), 657–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518390110059874
16.
Darling-HammondK. (2020). Queeruptions and the question of QTPOC thriving in schools: An excavation. Equity & Excellence in Education, 52(4), 424–434. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2019.1705205
DiazE.KosciwJ. (2009). Shared differences: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students of color in our nation’s schools. GLSEN.
19.
Fausto-SterlingA. (2000). Sexing the body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. Basic Books.
20.
FergusonR. (2004). Aberrations in Black: Toward a queer of color critique. University of Minnesota Press.
21.
FlemingP. M. (2000). Three decades of educational progress (and continuing barriers) for women and girls. Equity & Excellence in Education, 33(1), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/1066568000330111
22.
FrankB.KehlerM. D.LovellT.DavisonK. G. (2003). A tangle of trouble: Boys, masculinity and schooling—future directions. Educational Review, 55(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013191032000072173
GlasserH. M.SmithJ. P. (2008). On the vague meaning of “gender” in education research: The problem, its sources, and recommendations for practice. Educational Researcher, 37(6), 343–350. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X08323718
27.
GolombokS.FivushR. (1994). Gender development. Cambridge University Press.
28.
GrandeS. (2015). Red pedagogy: Native American social and political thought (10th anniversary ed.). Rowman Littlefield. (Original work published 2004)
29.
GraysonD. A. (1987). Emerging equity issues related to homosexuality in education. Peabody Journal of Education, 64(4), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/01619568709538574
30.
GreytakE.KosciwJ.BoesenM. (2013). Putting the “T” in resource: The benefits of LGBT-related school resources for transgender youth. Journal of LGBT Youth, 10(1–2), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2012.718522
31.
GrossmanA. H.D’AugelliA. R.FrankJ. A. (2011). Aspects of psychological resilience among transgender youth. Journal of LGBT Youth, 8(2), 103–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2011.541347
32.
HollingworthL. S. (1918). Comparison of the sexes in mental traits. Psychological Bulletin, 15(12), 427–432. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0075023
33.
hooksb. (1984). Feminist theory: From margin to center. Routledge.
34.
hooksb. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. RoutledgeFalmer.
35.
HydeJ. S. (1981). How large are cognitive gender differences? A meta-analysis using !w2 and d. American Psychologist, 36(8), 892–901. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.36.8.892
JacksonJ. (2001, April10–14). Come out, come out, Wherever you are: A synthesis of queer research in education [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States.
KeenanH. (2022). Methodology as pedagogy: Trans lives, social science, and the possibilities of education research. Educational Researcher, 51(5), 307–314.
41.
KehlerM. D.DavisonK. G.FrankB. (2005). Contradictions and tensions in the practice of masculinities in school: Interrogating embodiment and “good buddy talk.”Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 21(4), 59–72.
Ladson-BillingsG.TateW. F. (1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teachers College Record, 97(1), 47–68.
46.
LeonardiB.StaleyS. (2018). What’s involved in “the work”? Understanding administrators’ roles in bringing trans-affirming policies into practice. Gender and Education, 30(6), 754–773. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2018.1455967
47.
LeyvaL. (2017). Unpacking the male superiority myth and masculinization of mathematics at the intersections: A review of research on gender in mathematics education. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48(4), 397–433. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.48.4.0397
48.
LoutzenheiserL. W. (2015). “Who are you calling a problem?” Addressing transphobia and homophobia through school policy. Critical Studies in Education, 56(1), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2015.990473
49.
LueckeJ. C. (2011). Working with transgender children and their classmates in pre-adolescence: Just be supportive. Journal of LGBT Youth, 8(2), 116–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2011.544941
50.
ManginM. (2019). Transgender students in elementary schools: How supportive principals lead. Educational Administration Quarterly, 59(2), 255–288. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X19843579
51.
ManginM.SuarezM. (in press). Transgender studies in K–12 education: Mapping an agenda for research and practice. Harvard Education Press.
MartinoW. (1995). “Cool boys,” “party animals,” “squids” and “poofters”: Interrogating the dynamics and politics of adolescent masculinities in school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 22(2), 239–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425699995434
54.
MartinoW.BerrillD. (2003). Boys, schooling and masculinities: Interrogating the “right” way to educate boys. Educational Review, 55(2), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013191032000072164
55.
MayoC. (2007). Chapter 3 Queering Foundations: Queer and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender educational research. Review of Research in Education, 31(1), 78–94. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X07300046078
56.
McCreadyL. T. (2004). Understanding the marginalization of gay and gender non-conforming Black male students. Theory Into Practice, 43(2), 136–143. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4302_7
57.
McGuireJ. K.AndersonC. R.ToomeyR. B.RussellS. T. (2010). School climate for transgender youth: A mixed method investigation of student experiences and school responses. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(10), 1175–1188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9540-7
58.
MeyerE. J. (2006). Gendered harassment in North America: School-based interventions for reducing homophobia and heterosexism. In MitchellC.LeachF. (Eds.), Combating gender violence in and around schools (pp. 43–50). Trentham Books.
59.
MeyerE. J. (2008). Gendered harassment in secondary schools: Understanding teachers’ (non)interventions. Gender and Education, 20(6), 555–572. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540250802213115
60.
MeyerE. J. (2009). Gender, bullying, and harassment: Strategies to end sexism and homophobia in schools. Teachers College Press.
MeyerE. J.Tilland-StaffordA.AirtonL. (2016). Transgender and gender-creative students in PK–12 schools: What we can learn from their teachers. Teachers College Record, 118(8), 1–50.
63.
MillsM. (2001). Challenging violence in schools: An issue of masculinities. Open University Press.
MuñozV.GarrisonE. K. (2008). Transpedagogies: A roundtable dialogue. Women’s Studies Quarterly, 36(2–4), 288–308. https://doi.org/10.1353/wsq.0.0093
66.
MurchisonG. R.AgenorM.ReisnerS. L.WatsonR. J. (2019). School restroom and locker room restrictions and sexual assault risk among transgender youth. Pediatrics, 143(6), e20182902. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2902
67.
NicolazzoZ. (2016). “Just go in looking good”: The resilience, resistance, and kinship-building of trans* college students. Journal of College Student Development, 57(5), 538–556. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0057
68.
NicolazzoZ. (2017a). Imagining a trans* epistemology: What liberation thinks like in postsecondary education. Urban Education, 56(3), 511–536. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085917697203
69.
NicolazzoZ. (2017b). Trans* in college: Transgender students’ strategies for navigating campus life and the institutional politics of inclusion. Stylus.
70.
OlsonK. R.DurwoodL.DeMeulesM.McLaughlinK. A. (2016). Mental health of transgender children who are supported in their identities. Pediatrics, 137(3), e20153223. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3223
71.
O’ShaughnessyM.RussellS. T.HeckK.CalhounC.LaubC. (2004). Safe place to learn: Consequences of harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender non-conformity and steps for making schools safer. California Safe Schools Coalition. http://www.casafeschools.org/SafePlacetoLearnLow.pdf
72.
ParisD. (2019). Naming beyond the white settler colonial gaze in educational research. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 32(3), 217–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.1576943
PowersJ. B. (1981). Sex equity: Where have we been and where might we go?Social Studies Review, 21, 50–55.
75.
RobertsA. L.RosarioM.CorlissH.KoenenK. C.AustinS. B. (2012). Childhood gender nonconformity: A risk indicator for childhood abuse and posttraumatic stress in youth. Pediatrics, 129(3), 410–417. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-1804
76.
RofesE. (1989). Opening up the classroom closet: Responding to the educational needs of gay and lesbian youth. Harvard Educational Review, 59(4), 444–454. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.59.4.31183h6345747510
77.
SadkerD. (1999). Gender equity: Still knocking at the classroom door. Educational Leadership, 56(April).
78.
SadkerM. P. (1980). Sex bias in reading and language arts teacher education texts. Reading Teacher, 33(5), 530–537.
79.
SadkerM. P.SadkerD.KleinS. (1986). Abolishing misperceptions about sex equity in education. Theory Into Practice, 25(4), 219–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405848609543230
80.
SearsJ. (1991). Educators, homosexuality, and homosexual students: Are personal feelings related to professional beliefs?Journal of Homosexuality, 22(3–4), 29–79. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v22n03_03
81.
SinghA. A. (2012). Transgender youth of color and resilience: Negotiating oppression and finding support. Sex Roles, 68(11–12), 690–702. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-012-0149-z
82.
Slesaransky-PoeG.RuzziL.DimediaC.StanleyJ. (2013). Is this the right elementary school for my gender nonconforming child?Journal of LGBT Youth, 10(1–2), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2012.718521
83.
SmithM. J.PayneE. (2015). Binaries and biology: Conversations with elementary education professionals after professional development on supporting transgender students. Educational Forum, 80(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2015.1102367
SpadeD. (2011). Normal life: Administrative violence, critical trans politics, and the limits of law. South End Press.
86.
StrykerS. (2004). Transgender studies: Queer theory’s evil twin. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 10(2), 212–215. https://doi.org/10.1215/10642684-10-2-212
87.
StrykerS.CurrahP.MooreL. J. (2008). Introduction: Trans–, trans, or transgender?WSQ Women’s Studies Quarterly, 36(3–4), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1353/wsq.0.0112
88.
ThorneB.LuriaZ. (1986). Sexuality and gender in children’s daily worlds. Social problems, 33(3), 176–190. https://doi.org/10.2307/800703
89.
TittleC. K. (1985). Research on sex equity in education: An agenda for the divisions, SIGs, and AERA. Educational Researcher, 14(9), 10–18.
90.
TraversA. (2019). The trans generation: How trans kids (and their parents) are creating a gender revolution. New York University Press.
91.
WaltonG. (2010). The problem trap: Implications of Policy Archaeology Methodology for anti-bullying policies. Journal of Education Policy, 25(2), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930903428630
92.
Weaver-HightowerM. (2003). The “boy turn” in research on gender and education. Review of Educational Research, 73(4), 471–498. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543073004471
WyssS. E. (2004). “This was my hell”: The violence experienced by gender non-conforming youth in US high schools. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 17(5), 709–730. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839042000253676
97.
ZittlemanK.SadkerD. (2002). Gender bias in teacher education texts: New (and old) lessons. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 168–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487102053002008
98.
ZongroneA. D.TruongN. L.KosciwJ. (2020). Erasure and resilience: The experiences of LGBTQ studens of color. GLSEN.
