Transgender Youth: Focusing on the “T” in LGBT Studies

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2016) | Viewed by 36802

Special Issue Editors

Department of Sociology, University of South Florida, 4201 E. Fowler Ave. CPR107, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Interests: sexual minority youth; gay-straight student alliances; sociology of education; social justice and inequality; feminist pedagogy
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1000 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Interests: social justice and inequality; educational equity; marginalized populations in higher education; critical theory

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transgender is increasingly understood as a term used to describe individuals who exhibit gender-nonconforming identities and/or behaviors, or, in other words, those who transcend typical gender paradigms. Transgender interests and issues sometimes overlap with those related to sexual orientation (lesbian, gay, bisexual). However, this population also experiences a divergent set of challenges as they navigate their social worlds. Research on transgender populations (rather than the commonly amalgamated LGBTQI populations) is emerging as the cutting edge of the social justice agenda. This emerging research rejects the homogenization and denial of agency (difference) reflected in much of the literature on LGBT populations. It reflects a growing concern for listening to and demonstrating sensitivity to the unique contexts within which the transgender population—for this Special Issue, transgender youth—navigate.

This Special Issue seeks to focus upon the multiple contexts that transgender youth inhabit and the specific conflicts, challenges, and controversies embedded in these contexts, as well as the resiliency and creativity transgender youth exhibit as they traverse the different contexts that shape their lived experiences. We invite manuscripts that include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Comparison studies that offer an in-depth understanding of the multitude of transgender youth school experiences in K-12 through higher education.
  • Studies examining the policies, programs, and practices that have been developed and implemented for transgender youth and the relevance of these in the lives of transgender youth, including program evaluations.
  • Examinations of the various challenges faced by researchers focusing on this population and discussions of how these challenges may be circumvented with an aim toward expanding the research literature on transgender youth.
  • Impact of the social services available to transgender youth.
  • Comparison studies that explore the experiences of parents and/or guardians of transgender youth, as well as the experiences of other family members.
  • Youth in transition
  • Transgender youth movements

Theoretical, empirical and practice-based studies and methodological approaches from a wide range of disciplines (education, social work, sociology, psychology, public policy, anthropology, family studies), as well as cross-and interdisciplinary studies are encouraged any disciplinary and methodological approach are encouraged. Submissions should be written in a nontechnical style accessible to a broad interdisciplinary audience.

Dr. Maralee Mayberry, Ph.D.
Lane Hanson, MSW
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Transgender Youth
  • Gender and Sexual Minorities
  • Transgender Youth Movements
  • Gender Identity
  • Transgender Social Services and Policies

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

236 KiB  
Article
Dinner and a Conversation: Transgender Integration at West Point and Beyond
by Morten G. Ender, Diane M. Ryan, Danielle A. Nuszkowski, Emma Sarah Spell and Charles B. Atkins
Soc. Sci. 2017, 6(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010027 - 08 Mar 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6347
Abstract
In 2016, the United States military lifted the ban on transgender members serving and are expected to begin accessions of transgender service members in 2017. A paucity of research exists on transgender matters in the military, especially on attitudes towards cisgender service members. [...] Read more.
In 2016, the United States military lifted the ban on transgender members serving and are expected to begin accessions of transgender service members in 2017. A paucity of research exists on transgender matters in the military, especially on attitudes towards cisgender service members. This study deploys a qualitative methodology, comprised of 21 focus groups of undergraduate cadets and advanced schooled Army officers (N = 110), at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, using a semi-structured interview protocol. Overall, a diversity of experiences and familiarity with transgender people surfaced among cadets and officers. We distinguish between experiences and familiarity on a spectrum by introducing notions of transgender tourism and cosmopolitanism. Major concerns associated with (un)comfortableness emerged from the focus groups including privacy, physical standards, well-being, and costs. Interventions are offered by the participants based on their major concerns. We recommend education, increased cosmopolitism, privacy considerations, narrowing the civil-military propinquity gap, and more studies of diversity and inclusion issues in the military. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transgender Youth: Focusing on the “T” in LGBT Studies)
224 KiB  
Article
When Care and Concern Are Not Enough: School Personnel’s Development as Allies for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Students
by Robert A. Marx, Leah Marion Roberts and Carol T. Nixon
Soc. Sci. 2017, 6(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010011 - 25 Jan 2017
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 8138
Abstract
Trans people—and particularly trans youth—have come to the forefront of political and educational discussions, especially as legislation has aimed to ensure that school personnel act as enforcers of state-level policies targeting trans youth. For this reason, and because research demonstrates that youth in [...] Read more.
Trans people—and particularly trans youth—have come to the forefront of political and educational discussions, especially as legislation has aimed to ensure that school personnel act as enforcers of state-level policies targeting trans youth. For this reason, and because research demonstrates that youth in schools form attachments to and receive support from school personnel, our research looks at school personnel’s development as allies. By analyzing focus group data following a training workshop, we explore how participants understand their roles as allies to trans and gender non-conforming youth. We found that trans issues were salient and participants expressed new knowledge about and openness towards transgender youth, as well as care and concern for their wellbeing. Nonetheless, many participants retained frames of understanding that relied on trans people as Other and that situated their roles as allies through the frameworks of protection and care. We argue that these understandings of trans youth and the role of allies reinforces cisnormativity, and we push for a more nuanced understanding of allyship that moves beyond knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and intended behaviors as markers of allyship to ensure that allies do not reproduce cisnormativity even in their support of trans and gender non-conforming youth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transgender Youth: Focusing on the “T” in LGBT Studies)
244 KiB  
Article
“My Mom Says Some Girls Have Penises”: How Mothers of Gender-Diverse Youth Are Pushing Gender Ideology Forward (and How They’re Not)
by Krysti N. Ryan
Soc. Sci. 2016, 5(4), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5040073 - 14 Nov 2016
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 8938
Abstract
Despite a rapid rise in the public visibility of parents who are choosing to support their transgender and gender-diverse children in recent years, little is yet known about how these parents challenge the regulatory forces of hegemonic gender through their parenting. Based on [...] Read more.
Despite a rapid rise in the public visibility of parents who are choosing to support their transgender and gender-diverse children in recent years, little is yet known about how these parents challenge the regulatory forces of hegemonic gender through their parenting. Based on semi-structured in-depth interviews, this article offers a comparative analysis of the ways that two groups of mothers—gender-expansive and gender-subversive—with differing ideological understandings of gender diversity resist the transmission of hegemonic schemas as they work to affirm their child’s sense of self. Drawing on Ridgway’s concept of gender as a primary frame, I identify a range of strategies used by each group and assess the potential for and limitations to advancing progressive gender ideology through trans-affirming mothering. While both groups contribute in powerful ways to trans-positive, gender-inclusive change, they do so through distinct parenting approaches that vary in their potential to undermine dominant gender ideology. While both groups of mothers resist the transmission of hegemonic gender beliefs in their parenting, the tactics and rhetoric used by gender-subversive mothers pose a more direct threat to the gender order than do those of gender-expansive mothers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transgender Youth: Focusing on the “T” in LGBT Studies)
223 KiB  
Article
Researching and Working for Transgender Youth: Contexts, Problems and Solutions
by Tiffany Jones
Soc. Sci. 2016, 5(3), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5030043 - 16 Aug 2016
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6848
Abstract
In May 2016, two events epitomized the complexities of working for global transgender youth rights. First, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) hosted a ministerial event in which education ministers from around the world released a call to action for protection [...] Read more.
In May 2016, two events epitomized the complexities of working for global transgender youth rights. First, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) hosted a ministerial event in which education ministers from around the world released a call to action for protection of students on the basis of their gender identity and expression in schools. Second, the United Nations (UN) hosted an event celebrating the family, attended by conservative ministers and activists who mobilized family protectionist discourse against transgender students. This article contemplates, in light of transgender activist Raewyn Connell’s Southern Theory contributions, the complexity of global research and work for transgender youth. It considers key informant interviews with 50 stakeholders in the global push for transgender student rights in education, including members of government and non-government organisations, and academics from Northern and Southern countries. Problems in aiding transgender youth at the global level included safety concerns, the impacts of conservative advocates and media backlash (within family and national protectionist discourses), cultural complexities hampering engagement and translation, dissemination hindrances pertaining to established publishing biases, and financial and collaboration barriers. Solutions including virtual work; multi-level leadership; alliance-building; representation; visibility of transgender youth citizenship and family membership; and legal, financial and capacity-building aid are considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transgender Youth: Focusing on the “T” in LGBT Studies)
1211 KiB  
Article
Trans*+ing Classrooms: The Pedagogy of Refusal as Mediator for Learning
by Sj Miller
Soc. Sci. 2016, 5(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5030034 - 28 Jul 2016
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5241
Abstract
Gender and sexuality norms, conscribed under cis/heteropatriarchy, have established violent and unstable social and educational climates for the millennial generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, agender/asexual, gender creative, and questioning youth. While strides have been made to make schools more supportive and [...] Read more.
Gender and sexuality norms, conscribed under cis/heteropatriarchy, have established violent and unstable social and educational climates for the millennial generation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, agender/asexual, gender creative, and questioning youth. While strides have been made to make schools more supportive and queer inclusive, schools still struggle to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender*+, intersex, agender/asexual, gender creative, queer and questioning (LGBT*+IAGCQQ)-positive curricula. While extensive studies must be done on behalf of all queer youth, this work specifically focuses on how to support classroom teachers to uptake and apply a pedagogy of refusal that attends to the most vulnerabilized population of queer youth to date, those that are trans*+. A pedagogy of refusal will be explored through an evolving theory of trans*+ness, then demonstrated through a framework for classroom application, followed by recommendations for change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Transgender Youth: Focusing on the “T” in LGBT Studies)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop