Transgender Students and Policy in K-12 Public Schools: Acknowledging Historical Harms

We draw from crit- ical trans politics5 (CTP) as a framework for policymakers and educators to examine the limits and possibilities of law and policy to meaningfully transform the conditions of the lives of transgender people. [...] In addition to studies attending to the realities experienced by trans youth, a growing body of research focuses on challenging gender essentialism in the curriculum and teacher and administrator learning (pre-service and in-service) to support transgender youth.35 To create the context for trans youth to cultivate belonging and build affirming relationships with adults, educator preparation progr. [...] In spite of the Trump administration’s actions, however, lower courts have clarified the rights of transgender students and ruled in favor of transgender students in Title IX and equal protection cases.41 Fortunately, in June 2021, the Biden administration’s Department of Education announced that Title IX will be interpreted and enforced to include protections for transgender youth42 and issued de. [...] Scholars of trans studies assert that for communities to successfully address challenges for trans youth in schools, centering the experiences and knowledge of the trans community (including trans youth) is essential.72 These scholars argue that such conversations both empower trans youth and enable the communities as a whole to learn from the diverse iden- tities, experiences, and knowledge of th. [...] The clear and consistent support of principals is needed for the proactive facilitation of schools that 13 of 22 are welcoming to trans students, as is their support of teachers in their efforts to notice and disrupt harmful systems of normativity.