Abstract
Transgender identities refer to those individuals whose biological sex does not align with their gender identity of being male and female. The expectation is that those born with a penis will assume a male gender and those with a vagina assume a female identity. These gender identities are associated with socially constructed gender roles and behavioural expectations. Youth with transgender identities in schools are likely to be excluded from the learning environments because schools uphold gender-binary cultures. Facilities such as bathrooms, changing rooms, school uniform among others have clear gender boundaries. Transgender learners do not fit these contexts. Despite that, schools are mandated to cater for all learners regardless of background or orientation. At least in South Africa, there is no research on how transgender learners experience the school environment, nor is there any research on how schools respond to the needs of transgender learners. There is a need to understand the lived experiences of transgender learners in schools and how schools could respond to their needs. This exploratory qualitative study uses semi-structured, in-depth interviews with six (6) young people who have undergone basic education in South African public schools in the Northern Cape and Gauteng provinces. The respondents were in school at least in the previous three (3) years to examine their experiences of schooling from the perspective of transgender identities in compulsory heteronormative school environments. Using Judith Butler’s theory on gender performativity as a theoretical frame of reference for the research, the study attempts to sketch some throughput on qualitative findings regarding the gender identification process and its influence on human occupation, through the thin lens provided in Wilcock’s Model of Human Occupation that outlines the synthesis of doing, being and becoming. This study reflects on a dynamic balance between ‘doing’ and ‘being’ and the centrality of both in comfortably ‘becoming’ transgender as a child. Through the theoretical framework interface of Butler and Wilcock, the study displays how transgender learners embrace and express their masculinity and femininity, given the enabling and constraining complexities from their compulsory heteronormative school environments. The findings reveal that compulsory heteronormative school environments could potentially emplace unfair exclusions and learning barriers on transgender learners. Interestingly, the transgender learners reveal some unprecedented positive learning experiences, which ultimately can be considered to improve policy development and education practice. Subsequently, the study unveils some qualitative data on the needs of transgender learners to thrive in a school environment.
M.Ed. (Inclusive Education)