Abstract

A growing number of adolescents are using a number of different identities to describe their gender. Schools have been noted for their uninclusive environments and high levels of discrimination for LGBTQ + individuals, yet research has neglected the school experiences of UK gender-diverse adolescents. This article explores the school experiences and navigation strategies of gender-diverse adolescents in the UK, examining the experiences of binary-trans, non-binary and gender-questioning adolescents separately. The data presented in this article come from a large survey of LGBTQ + young people’s social experiences; a subsample of 74 adolescents’ (25 binary-trans, 25 non-binary, and 24 gender-questioning) open-ended responses were selected for qualitative thematic analysis. Findings highlight that gender-diverse adolescents experience discrimination within the school environment from the curriculum, space, peers and teachers, and a number of strategies, including disclosure negotiation, cognitive restructuring and proactive protection, are used to navigate this environment. Findings shed light on the school experiences of gender-diverse adolescents, and suggest that the British school system is fundamentally unsuitable for non-binary and gender-questioning identities.

摘要

越来越多的青少年使用多种不同的身份来描述他们的性别。学校以其不包容的环境和对 LGBTQ + 个人的高度歧视而闻名，但研究却忽视了英国性别多元化青少年的学校经历。本文探讨了英国性别多元化青少年的学校经历和导航策略，分别考察了二元跨性别、非二元跨性别和性别质疑青少年的经历。本文呈现的数据来自对 LGBTQ+ 年轻人社会经历的大型调查；选择了 74 名青少年（25 名二元性别、25 名非二元性别和 24 名性别质疑）的子样本进行定性主题分析。调查结果强调，性别多样化的青少年在学校环境中遭受来自课程、空间、同龄人和教师的歧视，并且使用了包括披露谈判、认知重构和主动保护在内的许多策略来应对这种环境。调查结果揭示了性别多元化青少年的学校经历，并表明英国的学校系统从根本上不适合非二元和性别质疑的身份。