Gender-neutral policies in schools

In recent years there has been a surge in awareness of issues uniquely faced by sexual minority youth, with the isolation and stigma faced by LGBTQ+ students known to generate depression and other health problems, as well as contributing to truancy and absenteeism [1].

With that in mind, we asked education professionals to tell us about their school’s approach toward gender-neutral policies.

Gender neutrality can be a controversial term, with one of our respondents terming it a “buzz-word”, but at its core gender-neutral policies simply represent an attempt to provide a framework of support and protection for sexual minority students.

More than half our of respondents claimed that their school has no gender-neutral policies in place, but more than 70% also said that they believe their school does enough to support gender-neutral pupils. From their comments, it seems educators are willing to support students. “[Gender-neutral policy] hasn’t been an issue yet,” stated one educator. “We would be open to changing things if deemed appropriate.”

This is a consistent theme in the responses: because it has not happened yet, change is not required. “If a child presented with gender concerns they would be met with sensitivity and we would seek appropriate advice,” said one respondent. “As yet this has never presented itself in our educational placement”. However, any number of things could prevent a student from “presenting” as gender expansive at school, including stigma, bullying, threats of violence, or religious or parental pressure [2-4].

This is echoed by several of our respondents, who flagged religious or cultural expectations in their student body as a reason for lack of gender-neutral accommodations, with one teacher claiming that a “shared toilet” would cause “outcry amongst the parents as many get very upset if their children aren't following gender norms”. This certainly may be true: seventy-two percent of transgender and gender non-conforming youth report hearing their families make negative comments about LGBTQ+ people [5]. It should therefore be considered that the parents’ opinions about gender and sexuality may not always align with the best interests of a sexual-minority child.

It is also important to note that according to the Human Rights Campaign, only 16 percent of transgender and gender expansive youth always feel safe at school, with less than a quarter stating that they felt they could be themselves at school [5].

While around half of schools surveyed had a gender-neutral uniform, more than half of respondents stated that their school would not allow male students to wear female-coded attire, such as a dress. Furthermore, more than 65% of respondents’ schools do not have a gender-neutral toilet facility, while 56% feel such a facility is unnecessary.

While this survey represents a small sample size, it reflects a general trend amongst educators to underestimate the frequency of harassment targeting gender expression [6]. However, studies have found that a little can go a long way: appropriate language use by school staff, for example, has been found to support the safety and outcomes of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming students [2].

References:

1. United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner. “Born Free and Equal: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in International Human Rights Law”. (2012)

2. Jones T, Smith E, Ward R, Dixon J, Hillier L & Mitchell A. “School experiences of transgender and gender diverse students in Australia”. Sex Education, 16:2, 156-171 (2016)

3. Mayo C. “LGBTQ Youth and Education: Policies and Practices”. Teachers College Press (2014)

4. Kearns L-L, Mitton-Kukner J, Tompkins J. “Transphobia and Cisgender Privilege: Pre-Service Teachers Recognizing and Challenging Gender Rigidity in Schools.” Canadian Journal of Education, 40:1 (2017)

5. Human Rights Campaign. “2018 Gender-Expansive Youth Report”. (2018)

6. Theoharis G, Scanlan M (Eds). “Leadership for Increasingly Diverse Schools”. Routledge (2015)