A literature review of the secondary school experiences of trans youth

Abstract

In this article I review 83 empirical studies that provide insight into the secondary school experiences of trans youth. The studies show that while some trans youth have affirming experiences, the majority are exposed to institutionalized cisnormativity that makes them vulnerable to macroaggressions, microaggressions and violence within school settings. Trans youth’s exposure to institutionalized cisnormativity was found to intersect with multiple vectors of social power, which subject some trans youth to multiple forms of disadvantage, while affording others degrees of privilege. In conclusion, the findings show that trans youth’s educational experiences reflect broader structural inequalities yet defy essentialising explanations.

Keywords:

• Cisnormativity
• literature review
• secondary school
• transgender
• violence

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge the support and input provided by Aoife Neary, Vanessa Lacey, Breda Gray and Susann Huschke during the drafting of this article. Finally, the author would like to express gratitude to the anonymous reviewers who provided constructive feedback and comments on the article.

Disclosure statement

No conflict of interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Irish Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under Grant number CLNE/2018/165.

Notes on contributors

Ruari-Santiago McBride

Dr Ruari-Santiago McBride was awarded his PhD in Sociology in 2015.