Trans People in Higher Education

Edited by Genny Beemyn

Subjects: Higher Education, Gender Studies, Queer Studies, Education, Educational Administration
Hardcover : 9781438472737, 342 pages, February 2019
Paperback : 9781438472744, 342 pages, February 2019

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Table of contents

Introduction
Genny Beemyn

The Voices of Trans Students, Staff, and Faculty

1. An Unescorted Male: Transcending Gender at a Southern Women’s College
Lisa N. Johnston and Caden J. Campbell

2. Transitional Matriculation: Losing (and Finding) Yourself in Higher Education
Annabelle Talia Bruno

3. Read between the Lines: Teaching and Learning while Nonbinary Trans
Alandis Johnson

4. “I Am Because We Are”: Holding a Mirror as a Trans Educator
S. Simmons

5. “Do You Get to Choose How Big Your Penis Will Be?”: Transitioning as Faculty
C. Ray Borck

6. Typing My Way Out of the Cisheteronormative Closet at a Community College
Kei Graves

7. On Being (In)Visible in the Academy: A Trans Scholar’s Narrative
Jackson Wright Shultz

Research on Trans People and Trans Inclusion on College Campuses

8. How I See Me, How You See Me: Students Navigating Gender Outside the Binary
Kasey Ashton

9. Trans College Students’ Experiences: Institutional Discrimination and Empowered Responses
Tre Wentling

10. Higher Educational Experiences of Trans Binary and Nonbinary Graduate Students
Abbie E. Goldberg

11. Get over the Binary: The Experiences of Nonbinary Trans College Students
Genny Beemyn

12. (In)Visibility and Protest: Trans Men, Trans Women, and Nonbinary Students at New England Women’s Colleges
Shannon Weber

13. An Examination of Trans College Students’ Sexual Health
James M. DeVita and Katrin A. Wesner

14. Microfoundations of Trans Academics’ Experiences: A Sense of Paranoia and Hypersensitivity
Erich N. Pitcher

15. From “My Absolute Worst Nightmare” to “I Couldn’t Ask for Anything More”: Trans Individuals’ Interactions with College Administrators, Professors, and Others with Institutional Power
Kristie L. Seelman

16. Rising like a Phoenix: One Institution’s Journey through Trans and LGBTQIA Inclusion
Matthew Antonio Bosch and Dana Pursley

A Guide to Trans Terminology
Contributors
Index

Addresses the experiences of trans college students, faculty, and staff in a single volume for the first time.

Description

Honorable Mention, 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in the LGBTQ category

While more trans students, faculty, and staff have come out on US college campuses today than ever before, many still report enduring harassment and discrimination. Others avoid disclosing their gender identity because they do not feel safe or comfortable at their schools. This groundbreaking book is the first to address their experiences in a single volume. Genny Beemyn brings together personal narratives and original research to give readers both individual and large-scale perspectives, which provide unprecedented insight into the experiences of trans people in higher education. These contributions reveal that despite an improving environment, trans people continue to face widespread interpersonal and institutional opposition on campuses across the country.

Some of the first published research focusing on nonbinary trans undergraduates and trans graduate students is included here, in addition to the most comprehensive research to date of trans students at women's colleges and of trans academics. Trans People in Higher Education also examines the sexual health of trans students, the treatment of trans people by individuals with institutional authority, and the strategies and lessons learned from one college that successfully became more trans inclusive.

Genny Beemyn is Director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. They have published more than a half dozen books, including A Queer Capital: A History of Gay Life in Washington, D.C.; The Lives of Transgender People (with Susan Rankin); and Queer Studies: A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Anthology (coedited with Mickey Eliason).

Reviews

"…an important and timely book. " — CHOICE

"Weaving personal narratives and research studies together in ways that highlight the full diversity of trans individuals, Trans People in Higher Education serves as an urgent call to action for higher education to play a leadership role in catalyzing broad social change around trans rights. In the process, Beemyn offers an invaluable resource for creating a trans-welcoming and trans-supportive environment on college and university campuses. " — Lynn Pasquerella, President, Association of American Colleges and Universities

"Beemyn's advocacy and research on trans people in higher education is groundbreaking, and this edited volume is no exception. Through a mix of narratives and personal accounts, as well as the findings of research studies by major scholars in the field, the book paints a rich portrait of the variety of trans identities and experiences on college campuses today, along with recommendations for how campuses can create a more inclusive environment. The volume is an extraordinary resource for all who are committed to creating campus communities that are welcoming and affirming for trans students, faculty, and staff, and for those who simply want to learn more about the experiences of trans people on college campuses today. " — Kristin G. Esterberg, President, State University of New York at Potsdam

"For more than two decades, Genny Beemyn has been at the forefront of higher education research and policy advocacy regarding trans issues. Beemyn has given us yet another stellar contribution to those fields with this new anthology, which showcases an impressive cohort of emerging voices as well as a burgeoning body of high-quality scholarship. It's the best, most comprehensive overview to date on the timely topics it addresses. " — Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History, Revised Edition: The Roots of Today's Revolution

"Trans People in Higher Education combines the powerful accessibility of compelling personal stories with the complex and often harsh findings of qualitative and quantitative research to demonstrate the continued need for trans-affirming campuses, from policy to classroom engagement. Despite more than two decades of positive changes in academic institutions, trans and nonbinary students, faculty, and staff continue to struggle for acceptance and equal access. This timely book shows that, in challenging the constricts of the binary gender system, helping others develop skills for culturally competent interactions, and expanding campus-wide policies, these individuals offer academia the best gift of all: learning opportunities and the inspiration to do better. " — Willy Wilkinson, author of Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency