Nov 19, 2020 12:00:00 AM
No group of human beings is a monolith. Transgender students are no exception to that. This Transgender Awareness Week (and all weeks) it’s on us as cisgender adults to do the work to learn how cool these kids are. We need to show them a variety of options to follow their dreams, to be adults, to live meaningful lives.
I’m just a dopey, cis, hetero, white guy. But I have known a number of transgender people in my time, ranging from acquaintances I give high fives to at punk rock shows to former classmates to friends I cherish more than family members. I’ve asked them for recommendations. I’m no expert by any means, but over the years I’ve put in some of the work necessary to discuss these topics intelligently and with kindness.
These are resources and educational pop culture my colleagues and I have found helpful to better get to know the transgender people in our lives. Whether they lead to educational breakthroughs or not, the following things are a good way to tell students you see them and are thinking about all the ways to help them succeed on their terms.
“Pet” by Akwaeke Emezi
In this 2019 novel for young adult readers, Akwaeke Emezi tells the story of Jam, a teenage transgender girl, going on a supernatural adventure. Angels and demons and monsters, oh my. But more than those fun genre elements, there’s a deeper idea of acceptance running beneath the surface. “Hormone blockers and treatments ensue, followed by surgery when she turns 15, all with the support of her loving parents and the acceptance of her community,” wrote Ibi Zoboi about the novel in the New York Times.
“Nevada” by Imogen Binnie
Imogen Binnie’s 2013 novel, “Nevada,” is about a young transgender woman leaving her city slicker problems behind her in New York City to hit the open road. The book asks questions like, as The Michigan Daily’s Emily Yang described, “How do you become a person when you’ve been avoiding yourself for so long before transitioning?” For the trans, or gender non-conforming, or questioning students in your classrooms, these are the questions that can help them understand themselves. Having students who are confident in their identities means you have students who are ready to learn.
These are just a few options. What are your ideas?
Rob Samuelson is a Staff Writer at Education Post and Digital Media Manager for the brightbeam network.
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