“We Just Think of Her as One of the Girls”: Applying a Trans Inclusion Staged Model to the Experiences of Trans Children and Youth in UK Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

Background/Context: Throughout the past decade increasing numbers of trans children are being supported in childhood, with schools in countries across the world tasked with educating a generation of (known) trans pupils. Schools can adopt diverse approaches to inclusion or exclusion of trans pupils, with consequences for trans children’s well-being and safety at school. The literature includes extensive critique of the limitations of common approaches to trans inclusion, highlighting negative impacts on trans pupils. Purpose: This article aims to reframe and bring nuance to conversations on trans inclusion in education, drawing on primary research in the UK to make explicit different approaches to trans inclusion, their ideological underpinnings, and their implications for how trans children are welcomed in our schools. Setting: The research took place in the UK, with interviews conducted at a time of escalation of anti-trans discourse in UK courts and media. Population: This article draws on data from two qualitative research projects focusing on the experiences of trans and nonbinary children and their parents in the UK: one focusing on trans children aged 3–12 years, and the other on trans young people aged 12–18 years. Research Design: Semi-structured interviews explored trans children’s experiences in education in the UK, with a focus on trans-inclusive approaches to school culture, restrooms, and team sports. Data were analyzed against the trans inclusion staged model (TISM), a framework for distinguishing between different approaches to trans inclusion. Findings: Within the TISM we differentiate between trans-oppressive, trans-assimilationist, trans-accommodative, and trans-emancipatory approaches to educational inclusion. Interviews highlighted the harms and injustices in nonemancipatory approaches, revealing the role of cis supremacy in forcing trans pupils into positions of vulnerability. Conclusion/Recommendations: The TISM emphasizes the structural and systemic nature of trans oppression, illuminating the power imbalances embedded in nonemancipatory approaches, and acknowledging the need for fundamental reform. We recommend analysis and recognition of school practices that are trans-oppressive, trans-assimilationist, trans-accommodative, or trans-emancipatory. We call for increased recognition of cis supremacy within education and commitment to emancipatory approaches to trans inclusion, enabling progress toward equity and gender justice in our schools.