What’s in a Pronoun?: The Ungovernability and Misgendering of Trans Native Kids in Juvenile Justice in Washington State

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recognition of transgender identities and best practices in care for trans youth in juvenile justice settings have been gaining increased visibility. However, in interviews with juvenile justice defense attorneys, I have found that even attorneys who want to be supportive and affirming of transgender youth struggle with consistently affirming the youth’s pronouns, especially in the case of Native trans youth. In this article, I will explore the ways that systems of “justice” are not set up to recognize transgender and Native youth correctly, because the goal is always to make Native youth invisible/assimilated and to make trans youth normative. For a transgender Native kid, even the best intentions of people working within this system are not going to be enough to overcome these systemic goals of settler colonial justice systems. This article highlights the limits of the U.S. juvenile justice system and argues for a turn to two-spirit critiques to fundamentally change the justice system for transgender Native youth.