‘Oh yeah – is she a he-she?’ Female to male transgendered pupils in the formal and informal cultures of an English secondary school

Abstract

Recent research suggests that trans* pupils are subject to much trans-exclusionary practice in schools and find there is little positive change in attitudes, despite statutory requirements and greater recognition of trans* identities. This paper explores the ways in which two female to male trans* pupils in a London girls’ school were excluded in ways that were the result of both formal and informal policies, practices and cultures. First, I explore the use of school space, arguing that this was policed using processes of internment, refusal of recognition and bullying. This was implemented officially by the school and in pupil cultures. Second, these pupils also exposed how curriculum subjects are discursively cisgendered in schools, such that through their practices they inscribe gendered meanings on the body of the learner. Both pupils, therefore, had to negotiate learning gender conterminously with academic learning. Finally, I observe how staff saw these pupils as either abused or abusing. This research has implications for supporting trans* pupils in schools now.

Keywords:

• Trans*
• transgender
• female-masculinity
• learning
• cisgenderism
• exclusion

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Debbie Epstein for her support and advice during the drafting of this paper.

Notes

1. This had forbidden Local Authorities (a ‘Local Authority’ is the name given to the governing body of a local area in the UK) and therefore also state run schools under their control, from ‘promoting homosexuality’ or educational materials that represented same sex relationships as part of ‘pretended family relationships’ (Gillan 2003, accessed 25 January 2015).

2. Indeed one pupil had told another pupil, in discussing my lesbian relationship, that I must be ‘the man’ in the relationship, asking me to confirm that this was the case. This led to an interesting discussion of sex, gender and sexuality in relationships.

3. Schools use ‘reduced timetables’ as temporary solutions for pupils who are having difficulty managing to remain in school for the whole day and attend every lesson. A pupil will be required to attend a reduced number of lessons.

4. Local Authorities are less able to instruct such schools to take pupils today. This is because of the creation of Academy School status. Schools, previously funded through the LA are now increasingly funded directly from the DFE and work with private businesses or charities, which form Academy-chains to provide education. Today, the LA would be more likely to commission private Alternative Education placements for pupils such as Carol. It is conceivable that a provider could set up today in London at least, to work specifically with trans* pupils, where school is proving not fit for purpose. Very recently, just such an alternative provision has been suggested for LGBT secondary pupils in Manchester (Glendinning 2015, 16 January).