Strategies for creating transgender friendly spaces in university and college classrooms

What is it about?

Professors, instructors, and teaching assistants at universities and colleges have the unique opportunity to create gender affirming and inclusive spaces when they teach. This paper summarizes concrete strategies that have been used to better support trans students within a classroom environment. The strategies discussed include modelling pronoun introductions, collecting pronoun information, and navigating pronoun mistakes. The article also discusses contextual considerations including online and in-person learning, class size and length, subject matter, student and educator characteristics, and institution-level factors. Reflecting and taking action related to the strategies detailed in this article can help make the classroom a place where transgender and nonbinary students can thrive.

Featured Image

Photo by Mapbox on Unsplash

Photo by Mapbox on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Everyone involved in teaching and learning has the opportunity to developing a higher education system that welcomes gender diversity. Using gender affirmative and inclusive practices in the classroom can transform transgender and nonbinary students’ academic experiences, social inclusion, as well as their health and well-being. While these guidelines are crucial towards setting the groundwork for an affirming classroom, they are just one step towards making the classroom an inclusive and affirming place for students of all genders.