March 31, 2023
International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) occurs every year on March 31st.
On this International Transgender Day of Visibility, we would like to highlight some of the research in the UBC Faculty of Education that forms part of our ongoing efforts to foster inclusive spaces for our trans and gender diverse students, faculty, staff, and community members.
Dr. Harper Keenan (Robert Quartermain Professor of Gender and Sexuality Research in Education and Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy), Lee Iskander (Doctoral Student, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy) and team conducted a survey of 296 trans PK–12 school workers (i.e., teachers, administrators, staff) in the United States and Canada, to study their workplace experiences, and differences in the support offered to trans workers and students.
The research brief, titled “Differences in Trans Employees’ and Students’ School Experiences,” provides an important insight into the first large-scale attempt to explore trans worker conditions in U.S. and Canadian PK–12 schools. Released as part of a special issue of Educational Researcher titled “Trans Studies in K–12 Education,” the full brief is provided open access on the American Educational Research Association (AERA) website.
This issue features another article by Dr. Keenan in which he urges researchers to take special care in their work in order to not perpetuate structures and beliefs that have been harmful to the trans community. In his paper “Methodology as Pedagogy: Trans Lives, Social Science, and the Possibilities of Education Research,” he provides historical context of trans knowledge production through an overview of the relationship between transgender people and social science research over the last century, and the emergence of transgender studies as a response to that history. The article also presents a consideration of the role of education research in bridging tensions between the fields of social science and transgender studies.
“There’s a common approach to teaching about transgender identity that focuses on defining various terms, such as gender expression, gender identity, etc. While these terms are important, it’s enriching to focus on transgender worldviews and the structures that are commonly limiting to us. When you consider what you can learn from the experiences of transgender people and what the experiences of transgender people reveal about how the world works, the knowledge produced from that learning can be beneficial to everyone.”
— Dr. Harper Keenan, Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, UBC Faculty of Education
We look forward to implementing these research findings as part of the Faculty’s ongoing efforts to address gaps in the awareness and inclusion of Two-Spirit, trans and non-binary community members in all aspects of our work.
Learn more
Related links
A number of trans-inclusive resources are available to students, faculty and staff to access supports or further their learning and engagement, including the following selection:
- Our approach: Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) Framework, UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
- Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diversity Task Force UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
- Gender diversity hub, UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
- Human rights advising, UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
- Getting support as a transgender, Two-Spirit, and non-binary employees, UBC Human Resources
- Positive Space: Foundations course, UBC Workplace Learning Platform
- Peer advice for incoming trans & non-binary arts students, Faculty of Arts
- InclusiveUBC monthly newsletter, UBC Equity & Inclusion Office
