‘Within the limits of decency and modesty’: the construction of cis-heteronormativity in New Brunswick school dress code policies

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study considers the ways school dress code policies in the Atlantic Canadian province of New Brunswick subtly perpetuate heteronormative and cisgendered assumptions regarding acceptable youth cultures. Although past media attention in the province has drawn attention to their indiscriminate enforcement, little is known on how these policies implicate queer and trans youth. Using critical discourse analysis, I collect and analyse data from 113 dress code policies across the region and examine how the language constructs norms about gender and sexuality. My findings reveal many policies using language which largely excludes the stylistic expression of queer and trans students: The texts nullify overall student sexuality and attempt to stabilise gender in ways that make sense to oppressive systems. I argue that my findings have broader appeal to other educational jurisdictions and can be applied to a wider set of discourses and practices around school dress code policies.