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DePalma, R., & Jennett, M. (2010). Homophobia, transphobia and culture: Deconstructing heteronormativity in English primary schools. Intercultural Education, 21(1), 15-26. doi:10.1080/14675980903491858

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Jones, T., Smith, E., Ward, R., Dixon, J., Hillier, L., & Mitchell, A. (2016). School experiences of transgender and gender diverse students in Australia. Sex Education, 16(2), 156-171. doi:10.1080/14681811.2015.1080678

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Books and resources for embracing and supporting trans and gender diverse children and young people.

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This page offers a brief summary and review of picture books with trans and gender diverse characters. Please note that character pronouns and names are used as they appear in the books.
10,000 Dresses
Marcus Ewert & Rex Ray, 2008, Seven Stories Press

Website: http://catalog.sevenstories.com/products/dresses

Bailey has dreams about imaginative different dresses which she wears, and wants a dress for herself. Her family don't understand, telling her that boys don't wear dresses. She sees an older girl making dresses and together they make mirror dresses and wear them.

This award-winning book has engaging illustrations which are bright and bold, and the story is told from Bailey's point of view as she attempts to assert her gender identity. This book refers to Bailey using (preferred) female pronouns throughout, with her only family referring to her as a 'boy'. While this affirms Bailey's gender identity, it may be confusing for children, particularly as Bailey never explicitly says she's a 'girl', only that she doesn't feel like a boy. Bailey's family are depicted in gender stereotyped locations/activities.

Themes: transgender, trans girl, clothing
About Chris
Nina Benedetto, 2015, CreateSpace

Website: http://wonderwisdombooks.com/about-chris

This book is written from the perspective of a teacher, who tells the 'true story' of Chris. Chris is presented as a stereotypical boy - who loves playing with trucks, drawing super heroes, using facepaint to draw scars, and playing a pirate for Halloween. When asked who that 'great little boy' was, the teacher would answer by saying 'that's Christina', much to the dismay of Chris. Chris explains he is a girl from his belly button down but a boy from his belly button up and his teacher tells him she understands and believes him.

This is a very simply story, showing how a teacher comes to understand that Chris is a boy. The use of the words 'true story' may help readers/listeners to support the ideas presented. As with so many books, gender stereotypes are heavily drawn on.

Themes: transgender, trans boy, teacher
The Adventures of Tina & Jordan
Jessica Lam, 2013, Xlibris LLC

Website: https://www.facebook.com/tinaandjordan/

Tina does not like to act like a 'girl' or do 'girl things' like her family taught her. She tries on her Daddy's cowboy hat, hiding her hair under it so she looks like a boy. She goes to the park and stops some boys on the playground from teasing another boy (Jordan) who is wearing a pink towel on his head to approximate long hair and holding a doll. Tina and Jordan are accepting of each others' gender preferences and become friends. Jordan's mum helps Tina's mum to be accepting, and Tina's mum tells Tina she loves her how she is.

This book focuses on friendship between two gender non-conforming children. It also includes mother support and acceptance. However, the language of approximation is used (e.g. 'like a boy', 'really a girl', 'pretend I'm a boy') and it is unclear what the message of the book is. Furthermore, there is a strong focus on naming gender-typed activities (e.g. climbing trees) in order to cross the binary.

Themes: gender diversity, gender non-conformity, friendship, mother support, teasing
The Adventures of Tulip The Birthday Wish Fairy
S. Bear Bergman & Suzy Malik, 2012, Flamingo Rampant

Website: http://www.flamingorampant.com/tulip.html

Tulip receives birthday wishes from children who have turned 9 all over the US and Canada. One day, Tulip receives a wish from David 'to be a girl named Daniela'. He doesn't know what to do so he consults the entry 'Gender Change' in the Wish Fairy Rule Book which tells him to see the Wish Fairy Captain. The Wish Fairy Captain explains Daniela's wish to Tulip and tells him how to make her wish come true. Tulip continues to grant wishes to help Daniela and becomes the special Gender Wish fairy.

This book affirms Daniela's gender identity, with the Wish Fairy Captain explaining to Tulip that they have to 'help' her. However, this explanation draws on gender as a natural binary where there are only boys and girls, who are paired opposites, and the Wish Fairy Captain is positioned as an expert. There is little attention to Daniela herself in the book. She's depicted as receiving gender stereotyped items, with her 'boys' ice skates' replaced by 'pretty figure skates'. This book is lengthy, with some sentences which don't seem pertinent to the storyline.

Themes: transgender, trans girl, wish fairy, imaginative
All I Want to Be Is Me
Phyllis Rothblatt, 2011, CreateSpace

Website: http://www.alliwanttobeisme.com

This book tells the story of multiple children who are transgender or gender diverse through rhyming and repeated messages. Some characters are transgender, others have non-binary genders. All characters are asking to be allowed to be themselves.

This book celebrates gender diversity, including the possibility to identify as having a non-binary gender. This is done via the inclusion of multiple characters which may be potentially confusing for children.

Themes: transgender, gender diversity, non-binary genders, multiple characters, celebratory
Are You a Boy or a Girl?
Karleen Pendleton Jiménez, 2000, Green Dragon Press

Website: http://people.trentu.ca/~kpendletonjimenez/books.html

This book loosely tells the story of the author's life as a girl who liked to engage in a range of activities, and had short hair. It focuses on other people not understanding that girls do not have to like 'girl things', and other children asking 'Are you a boy or a girl?' because of things such as her short hair cut and interest in particular toys. Each time she is asked this, the girl answers back 'I'm a girl', more assertively each time. She is sad she's asked this because she likes doing things without thinking about acting like a girl or a boy. Her mama supports her and says while others may not understand, knowing you can do anything is the best way to live.

This book has a strong argument that there should not be 'girl things' or boy things', just things that any child can do. However, to make this argument, the book draws on ideas of 'girl things' and 'boy things', and the author is the only child to break out of these, although her mama asserts that there have always been 'girls who like to do boy things and boys who like to do girl things'. Each child who asks 'Are you a boy or a girl?' is mentioned using a gender-typed description (e.g. 'Dionne in the dangly earrings'). The story is accompanied by black and white photos and sketches which may not engage children.

Themes: gender non-conformity, emotions, mother support
Are You A Boy or Are You A Girl?
Sarah Savage & Fox Fisher, 2015, TQUAL Books

Website: http://sarah-savage.com/product/book/

Tiny has moved to a new town and is about to start at a new school. Tiny tells the reader about liking lots of different toys, activities, and clothes which are not limited by gender stereotypes. When Tiny goes to school, a boy called Buster picks on Tiny several times about Tiny's name and whether Tiny is a girl or a boy, and is reprimanded by the teacher. Tiny is asked several times throughout the book 'are a boy or a girl?', but doesn't answer until the last page when Tiny says 'I am me!'.

This story shows a child who is interested in a variety of pursuits and is not restricted by gender expectations. However, most of the supporting characters are shown in gender-stereotyped activities and clothing.

Themes: non-binary gender, gender diversity
Backwards Day
S. Bear Bergman & K.D. Diamond, 2012, Flamingo Rampant

Website: http://www.flamingorampant.com/backwardsday.html

Backwards Day occurs on the planet Tenalp once a year. On this day everything is backwards, including gender, where girls become boys and vice versa. Andrea loves Backwards Day because she wants to be a boy every day. One Backwards Day, Andrea woke up and found she was still a girl and was very sad to miss her favourite day. However, the next day she woke up to find she was a boy, which also happened the day after. Andrea told her mum to call her 'Andy'. Andy's mum and dad took him to see a 'Backwardsologist' who explains that being a girl was actually backwards for Andy. Andy is much happier than he was previously.

This book is creatively imagined, set on a (very earth-like) planet, where all of the characters are different colours. It is one of the few books to depict a trans boy. However, it largely draws on stereotyped clothing and interests and the idea that boys and girls are fundamentally different, although attempts at times to critique this. The 'Backwardsologist' is positioned as an expert needed to affirm Andy's gender identity, and Andy's parents do not seem to understand his affirmed gender. The book is slightly long and is written in a font which may make it difficult to read aloud.

Themes: transgender, trans boy, imaginative
Be Who You Are
Jennifer Carr & Ben Rumback, 2010, AuthorHouse

Website: http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000381681/Be-Who-You-Are.aspx

Nick has always felt like a girl. His parents support him but Nick still presents as a boy in public, including at school. Nick visits Dr Bee who supports the family for Nick to transition to live as her affirmed gender identity, with her chosen name Hope. Her younger brother Will doesn't understand at first and is unsure how this will impact their sibling relationship. He is reassured by Hope who tells him that she is still the same person. Some people don't understand but her family love her and Hope is happy.

This book addresses a range of issues (school, sibling relationship) and Hope's parents are supportive throughout. However, clinical language is used (e.g. 'girl brain', 'wrong body') and there is a focus on health professional intervention. Hope's pronoun and name change occur only after having visited a health professional for a second time. There is also a focus on being able to have long hair and wear dresses, and many characters are shown in gender-typed clothes.

Themes: transgender, trans girl, doctor, parents supportive, sibling relationship, clothing
But, I'm Not a Boy!
Katie Leone & Alison Pfeifer, 2014, CreateSpace

Website: https://www.facebook.com/KTLBooks

Sarah was sad because nobody knew she was a girl and everybody thought she was a boy. Her parents called her David but she felt like Sarah. She didn't want to engage in activities she did like playing ball, war, or wrestling or building a treehouse but would rather play dress ups and dolls and bake. Sarah's parents knew she was sad and asked him why this was the case. Sarah tells them she is not a boy but is a girl, called Sarah. Her parents are shocked/surprised and had not heard of something like this before but support her as their daughter.

This book uses Sarah's preferred pronoun and name throughout. However it features heavily gender-typed activities and clothes (sports, war, wrestling, cowboys, dress ups, dolls, baking) and minor characters all engage in gender-typed activities.

Themes: transgender, trans girl, parents supportive, friendship
Everybody thought I was a boy!
Anisa Varasteh & Sholeh Pardakhtim, 2018.

Website: https://anisabeeta.wixsite.com/anisabeeta/product-page/sam
The Gender Fairy
Jo Hirst & Libby Wirt, 2015, Oban Road Publishing

Website: http://www.thegenderfairy.com

A beautiful, simple, story about a gender fairy, who affirms to two children that they can be who they are, rather than who they are expected to be on the basis of their assigned sex. Written in simple, clear, language, the story avoids the problems associated with changing pronouns or gender stereotyped behaviours or clothing evident in other books. Instead, the book does an excellent job of emphasising that sex is an assignation that does not determine gender; that what matters is how children experience their gender (as opposed to their assigned sex); and that children have the right to acceptance. Importantly, the book goes even further by finishing with a question about whether it matters if the fairy themselves is a boy or a girl. Overall, this book does an excellent job of challenging assumptions about how we talk and think about gender in ways that will be understandable to young readers.

Themes: transgender, gendered expectations, affirmation
Goblinheart: A Fairy Tale
Brett Axel & Terra Bidlespacher, 2012, East Waterfront Press

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Goblinheart/

Julep will soon be coming of age and the elders have said Julep will grow up to be a fairy, despite wanting to be a goblin. Julep grows wings but joins the new goblins rather than the new fairies. The elders allow Julep to stay with the goblins for the day, presuming Julep will be happy to be with the fairies the following day. Julep makes a vest to hold down wings and gauntlets with stone claws and continues with the other goblins. They meet another tribe, who see Julep's wings. Julep tells them about being a goblin on the inside. Julep supports a member of the other tribe, Tuck, who will become a goblin while feeling like a fairy.

This book manages to avoid the use of gender pronouns, although it seems that fairies appear to be female and goblins male. Species change may not necessarily be understood as a metaphor for transgender.

Themes: species change, no gender pronouns
The Great Big Body Book
Mary Hoffman & Ros Asquith, 2016, Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Website: https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781847808721/The-Great-Big-Body-Book.html
A House for Everyone
Jo Hirst & Naomi Bardoff, 2018, Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Website: https://www.jkp.com/uk/a-house-for-everyone-2.html

This book focuses on the friendship amongst a group of gender diverse children. The children are working together to build a house made of branches to play in together. Each character is introduced to the reader, including their name, gender, pronouns, and things they like to do.

This is one of the few books to explore gender diversity beyond binaries and is affirming of all of the characters' genders using carefully chosen words to describe them. The book celebrates gender diversity and friendship. Rather than being a story-driven book, it focuses on telling the reader that children can be diverse in their genders and explains what this might look like. While this could appear simplistic for older readers, it will be useful for discussing gender diversity with all children, and for gender diverse children to recognise themselves amongst the characters.

Themes: gender diversity, non-binary genders, friendship, multiple characters, affirmation

Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings & Shelagh McNicholas, 2014, Penguin

Website: http://www.transkidspurplerainbow.org/jazzs-book-i-am-jazz-is-now-out-2/

Jazz tells the story of her life so far, telling the reader about her favourite things to do and her family. Jazz explains that she is not like her best friends because she is transgender. She says that her family were initially confused but were then very supportive, and received lots of help from a doctor. Jazz encounters difficulties at school in terms of being expected to use the boys' bathroom and play on the boys' team in gym class, which are resolved. Jazz is fine with being different and is happy.

The fact that this is Jazz telling her own story makes it very engaging. Jazz has a supportive family, her preferred pronoun is used throughout (and the name she was given at birth is never mentioned), and she explains what the term transgender means to her. However, it draws on clinical language (e.g. 'girl brain') and a doctor and diagnosis is key to affirming her gender identity. It also features gender-typed clothes, activities, colours etc.

Themes: transgender, trans girl, autobiographical, family supportive, friendship, school, doctor
Introducing Teddy: A story about being yourself
Jessica Walton & Dougal MacPherson, 2016, Bloomsbury

Website: https://www.facebook.com/introducingteddy/

Errol and his teddy Thomas enjoying doing lots of things together including riding their bikes, planting vegetables, eating sandwiches in the tree house, having tea parties, and playing on the swing. One day Thomas needs to tell Errol something, although isn't sure he'll still want to be friends. Thomas says 'In my heart, I've always known that I'm a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. I wish my name was Tilly, not Thomas'. Errol says he doesn't care if Tilly is a girl teddy or a boy teddy and they find their friend Ava to play with them, and play lots of the things they enjoy doing together.

This book is a lovely story of friendship between Errol and Tilly, as well as Ava. It also manages to break gender stereotypes with Errol and his teddy engaging in the same activities at the start and end of the book.

Themes: transgender, friendship, teddy
Is That For A Boy or A Girl?
S. Bear Bergman & Rachel Dougherty, 2015, Flamingo Rampant

Website: http://www.flamingorampant.com/books.html

Tells the story of multiple different unnamed characters who are gender diverse, critiquing norms about gender in the process.

This book explicitly discusses and critiques social norms about gender. It also includes other forms of diversity in terms of skin colour and one child using a wheelchair. However, there are many characters which may be confusing for children and there is some gender-typing in its reversals (e.g. although a character who is presumably a boy likes reading he says it's not 'boyish'). The book is long and uses rhyming.

Themes: gender diversity, gender critique
Jacob's New Dress
Sarah Hoffman, Ian Hoffman & Chris Case, 2014, Albert Whitman & Company

Website: http://www.sarahandianhoffman.com/books/jacobs-new-dress/

Jacob likes playing dress-ups in dresses with his friend Emily, for which he is bullied by Christopher, a boy in his class. He asks his mum if he can wear a dress to school, but she isn't sure. He makes his own 'dress-thing' with a towel and wears it to school with the support of his mother but not his father. Christopher pulls off Jacob's 'dress-thing' which makes him very upset. Jacob asks his mum if she can help him make a 'real dress' to which she agrees, saying there are all sorts of ways to be a boy. Jacob wears the dress to school and finds courage to stand up to Christopher.

This is an engaging story about Jacob and his love of wearing dresses. He has a supportive mother and a friend Emily who he plays with. However, his father is not always clearly supportive, and many other characters are gender-normative.

Themes: gender non-conformity, dresses, friendship, teasing, mother support
Jesse's Dream Skirt
Bruce Mack & Marian Buchanan, 1979, Lollipop Power, Inc

Website: http://marianbuchanan.com/jesses-dream-skirt-the-project/

Jesse likes wearing dresses and skirts and dreams about a multi-coloured skirt which looks like colours on a top when he twirls in it. His mother helps him make a similar skirt which he wears to school. While his teacher Bruce likes his skirt, some of the other children don't, telling Jesse that boys don't wear dresses. Bruce talks to the class and explores with them why they are making fun of Jesse. A girl in the class says she is asked if she's a boy when she wears her baseball uniform. Many of the other students discuss similar things happening to them. Bruce and many of the other children use pieces of cloth to wear as skirts, dresses, and other things.

This book offers a still relevant message, despite its age. A critique of gender norms is evident when Jesse's mother says she doesn't wear high-heeled shoes because they're uncomfortable and a girl in the class discusses playing baseball. Jesse is supported by his teacher Bruce who engages the other children in a discussion about the issues. However, the book names girl/boy things.

Themes: gender non-conformity, skirt, mother support, teacher support, school
Meet Polkadot
Talcott Broadhead, 2013, DangerDot Publishing

Website: http://dangerdot.com/faq-the-polkadot-series/

Polkadot tells the reader about what gender identity means, and how society often frames everything in terms of binary genders. Polkadot explains all this to sister Gladiola, who identifies as a girl. Polkadot's gender identity is Polkadot showing that you do not have to fit into one side of the binary. Polkadot also identifies as a 'trans kid'. Polkadot's best friend Norma Alicia shows that gender identity is only one thing that's important, along with other things like cultural background. The book also explains many concepts to do with gender identity and biological sex.

This book draws attention to social norms about gender and Polkadot is assertive about having a non-binary gender identity. While diversity is included via Polkadot's best friend who is Mexican, Polkadot is not given an ethnic identity. The book is dense and may be useful as an instructional book rather than a story book, particularly for children (and older children) who have already thought a lot about some of these issues.

Themes: non-binary gender, trans, gender critique, family, friendship, instructional
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Christine Baldacchino & Isabelle Malenfant, 2014, Groundwood Books

Website: http://houseofanansi.com/products/morris-micklewhite-and-the-tangerine-dress

Morris loves wearing the tangerine dress in the dress-up corner at school, as well as shoes that 'click'. Some of the other boys and girls make fun of him, and the other boys don't let him play with them. Morris gets a tummy ache from the other children being mean to him. He dreams about going on a space safari with his cat where they see big blue elephants and makes a painting of his dream. Back at school, Morris puts on the tangerine dress and plays with the other boys after they see his painting. He is again told that boys don't wear dresses by a girl, to which he now confidently replies 'This boy does'.

This book explains how wearing a dress makes Morris feel, and why he likes to wear it. He has a mother who is supportive. However, while he is teased by both boys and girls initially, he becomes friends only with boys at the end of the story, and he is accepted not for his non-conformity, but for his space safari painting. The other students are largely gender-conforming and the other boys are at times misogynous (claiming Morris can't be an astronaut if he's wearing a dress, and telling Morris he'll turn them into girls if he sits with them while wearing a dress).

Themes: gender non-conformity, dress, mother support, teasing, school, imagination
Muffy was Fluffy
Rikki Marie-Josée DuBois & Denis Grenier, 2012, PublishAmerica

Website: https://www.facebook.com/MuffyWasFluffy/

Fluffy doesn't like doing things other kittens do. She doesn't fit in with other kittens and is sad, until a puppy moves in and Fluffy likes doing the same things as him. Fluffy realises she is not a kitty but a puppy, and transitions to a puppy via surgery, pills, and voice training. Fluffy falls in love with herself after looking in a mirror. Fluffy changes her name to Muffy and lives happily ever after.

This book uses changing species as a metaphor for gender transition which essentialises gender. The book focuses on surgery and pills, resulting in a pleasing appearance.

Themes: species change
My Dad Thinks I'm a Boy?!
Sophie Labelle, 2017

Website: https://www.etsy.com/listing/523606226/pre-order-my-dad-thinks-im-a-boy-by
My Favorite Color is Pink
Nina Benedetto, 2015, CreateSpace

Website: http://wonderwisdombooks.com/books/my-favorite-color-is-pink
My New Daddy
Lilly Mossiano & Sage Mossiano, 2012, Spun Silver Productions

Website: https://lillymossiano.wordpress.com/books/my-new-daddy/

Charles tells about the gender transition of his 'new' daddy. His mommy cuts her hair short and explains to Charles that nature made a mistake and she should've been born a boy like him. Mommy begins transitioning, and Charles calls her daddy. Daddy goes to see a doctor and has an operation. Charles now has a new daddy who loves him and he loves his daddy.

This book emphasises the love between parent and child and is simple in its telling. However, it uses clinical language (e.g. 'nature made a mistake') and implies a cisgender norm (should've been born a boy 'like me'). It also features gender-typed clothing, hair etc.

Themes: transgender, trans man, parent/child, doctor, medical transition
My New Mommy
Lilly Mossiano & Sage Mossiano, 2012, Spun Silver Productions

Website: https://lillymossiano.wordpress.com/books/my-new-mommy/

Violet tells about the gender transition of her 'new' mommy. Her daddy shaves his beard off, lets his hair grow, and gets his ears pierced. He explains to Violet that nature made a mistake and he should've been born a girl like her. Daddy begins transitioning, and Violet calls him mommy. Mommy goes to see a doctor and has an operation. Violet now has a new mommy who loves her and she loves her mommy.

This book emphasises the love between parent and child and is simple in its telling. However, it uses clinical language (e.g. 'nature made a mistake') and implies a cisgender norm (should've been born a girl 'like me'). It also features gender-typed clothing, hair etc.

Themes: transgender, trans woman, parent/child, doctor, medical transition
My Princess Boy
Cheryl Kilodavis & Suzanne DeSimone, 2010, Aladdin

Website: http://myprincessboy.com/

This is a book about the author's four-year-old son, who she calls my princess boy. My princess boy likes being a princess, dressing in dresses, and looking pretty. He is friends with boys and girls and his family love him. However, he is sometimes stared or laughed at when he buys 'girl things' which hurts him and his mum. The book ends with the author asking the reader a number of questions, including if the reader would laugh at my princess boy, or play with him.

This is an engaging book which celebrates the author's son's gender diversity, and encourages the reader to do the same. However, it draws on phrases like 'girly dresses' and 'girl things'. The drawings features faceless characters which may allow for readers/listeners to picture themselves as the characters, or may be slightly disconcerting.

Themes: gender non-conformity, princess boys, celebration, family love, friendship, emotions
Pearl's Christmas Present
Thomas Wurst, 2004, Pearl and Dotty

Website: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cocaseattle/sets/72157606531541277/

As a little boy, Pearl wanted to be a girl. This is explained via enjoyment of playing with Pearl's sisters' things and wearing their clothes. Pearl lives in a dysfunctional family with lots of arguing, and Pearl's mum and dad do not support Pearl's choices. Pearl receives a Tonka Truck for Christmas and gives it to Chester (a brother), keeping the green ribbon on the present.

This is a witty yet sad book, where the reader is encouraged to support Pearl against the rest of the family. Phrases such as 'girls' things' and 'boys' things' are never explicitly used which is refreshing, although there is clearly a binary set up between dresses and Barbies and Tonka trucks, a binary which only Pearl crosses. The book avoids the use of pronouns to label Pearl.

Themes: trans girl, gender diversity

McNall Mason & Max Suarez, 2013, Max 'n Me Studio

Website: http://maxnmestudio.com/

The first-person narrator (a boy, depicted as a monster) talks to the reader about the different things he likes playing and wearing. However, he says some people are critical of what he does. He draws on an example of a girl (Sue) to tell the reader that people don't mind what girls do as much as boys. He invites the reader/listener to come and play all sorts of things with him and his friends.

This book may be engaging because it speaks directly to the reader/listener. It celebrates the breaking of gender binaries (directly critiquing them), yet at the same time heavily draws on them to make the point. The book is long and uses rhyming.

Themes: gender non-conformity, friendship
Princess Max
Laurie Stiller & Gregory Rogers, 2001, Random House Australia

Max's parents are still in bed so he explores what's in the house. He finds one of his mum's old dresses and enjoys swaltzing/dancing around in it, looking and feeling beautiful and like a princess. His mum and dad both encourage him. His friend Arnold comes around and says Max looks like a girl. He asks him to go outside and squash snails, but Max wants to keep swaltzing. Max's family visit and Max is excited to see his older cousin Marty. His auntie and uncle are accepting but Marty laughs and tells him he looks like 'a little weirdo'. Max cries and is comforted by his mum. His mum puts his dad's underpants on her head and Max asks her to wear them when they rejoin the family, which they do. Max continues swaltzing in the dress until he wants to stop.

This book focuses on Max's enjoyment of swaltzing in the dress and feeling beautiful and like a princess. However, this is undermined by the idea that a boy wearing a dress is equivalent to a woman wearing underpants on her head, and that Max limits his behaviour to what he thinks a princess would do (e.g. not making a mess).

Themes: gender non-conformity, boy wearing a dress, parent support, teasing, emotions
A Princess of Great Daring!
Tobi Hill-Meyer & E. Toczynski ,2015, Flamingo Rampant

Website: http://www.flamingorampant.com/books.html

Jamie hasn't seen her friends all summer, and is now living her affirmed gender as a girl. She meets up with her three (cisgender male) friends, and is happy that they are accepting of her gender. The four friends have imaginative adventures together about princes and a princess. Jamie asks her friends to support her when she has to tell everyone at school the following week, to which they all agree.

Most of this story focuses on the imaginative adventures the four friends have together, and is a story of acceptance from peers, Jamie's gender is a non-issue. Jamie is described as 'a girl now' by one of her mums, and at the end of the book describes herself as 'really a girl', framing gender as a binary. Jamie's two mums are shown dropping her off at the start of the book, which is a rare disruption to the dominance of heterosexual families.

Themes: transgender, trans girl, friendship, acceptance
Roland Humphrey is Wearing a WHAT?
Eileen Kiernan-Johnson & Katrina Revenaugh, 2012, Huntley Rahara Press

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roland-Humphrey-is-Wearing-a-What/443738012340579

Roland likes wearing a range of colours and clothing, although is told by two girls at his school which colours are suitable for boys and which ones should only be worn by girls. His parents have always said it's his choice about which colours he likes, but he's confused if his parents or the girls at school are right. Roland tries to follow their rules by wearing the correct colours but wears a shirt with a butterfly and a hair clip. The girls list further gender rules, including in relation to clothing, toys, and activities. He talks everything through with his mum and at the end of the story, Roland is confident to choose whatever he likes best and wears a dress. The girls say they were wrong.

While the ending is happy, more than half of the book essentially works to reinforce gender norms. Indeed, there is a list of colours for boys and colours for girls. The other characters in the book mostly conform to these gender-typed clothes and colours. This all means that while Roland wears what he likes, gender is essentialised, where pink is for girls, even if one boy wears it. The book uses rhyming, with some words that children may be unfamiliar with.

Themes: gender non-conformity, school, teasing, gender rules, colours, clothing
Rough, Tough Charley
Verla Kay & Adam Gustavson, 2007, Tricycle Press

Website: http://www.verlakay.com/Books/

Charley is a rough, tough stage coach driver, who is respected for his work. The book tells the story of his career, from a boy starting work up until his death. When Charley dies at the end of the book, the local doctor exclaims ' He's a woman, In disguise!'.

The story is engaging up until the 'reveal' where Charley is framed as a 'woman in disguise' and then 'she' and 'he' (the latter in quote marks) are used to describe Charley on the final page. The story is written in short rhymes.

Themes: trans man, true story, historical
The Royal Heart
Greg McGoon & J. Orr, 2015, Avid Readers

Website: http://www.gregmcgoon.com/#!books/nd1c0

From a young age, Prince Lyric is unhappy with the idea that one day he will grow up to be King. On the night of his 16th birthday, he excuses himself from the celebrations and goes for a walk in the woods, where he sees the spirit of his grandmother. She tells him that his parents will be proud of him if he lives as his 'true self', after which Lyric's appearance changes and he is presented wearing a gown. Lyric returns to the castle and presents herself to her parents, who accept her as Lyra. Her father, the King, says: 'You left as my son and now a daughter stands before me. You will always be my child. Your heart is pure and strong and true. You are a leader just as I am, whether King or Queen. We love you'.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated story. Whilst the 'magical' change in appearance might be different to what young people experience, as a fairytale this is an appropriate way of telling the story. Similarly, whilst all of the characters in the book present in gender normative ways, the story of unquestioned love and acceptance is an important one.

Themes: trans girl, acceptance, love, fairytale, pride
Stacey's Not a Girl
Colt Keo-Meier, Jesse Yang, & Nine Lam, 2016

Website: http://coltkeo-meier.com/book/
Truly Willa
Willa Naylor and Bex Naylor, 2016, CreateSpace

Website: https://www.amazon.com/Truly-Willa-Naylor/dp/1523936495
When Kathy is Keith
Wallace Wong, 2011, Xlibris

Website: http://www.drwallacewong.com/books/when-kathy-is-keith

Kathy feels like a boy, although no one understands and thinks she's being silly. It is not until Kathy asks Santa to 'make me into a boy' that her mother believes her. Kathy's mum and dad speak to several doctors and find that there are other children who feel like Kathy. Kathy's parents allow her to gradually live as a boy, which includes changing her name to Keith and wearing 'boy's clothes' at home'. Keith is happier. While not everyone will understand, Keith knows that his parents are there for him.

This is one of the few picture books featuring a trans boy, although there is no exploration of why Keith knows he's a boy and his transition focuses on changing his name, wearing 'boy's clothes at home', and having short hair. The first step Kathy's parents make is to allow her to change her name to Keith, after which male pronouns are used.

Themes: transgender, trans boy, doctors, transition, name change, clothing, emotions, parent support
When Kayla was Kyle
Amy Fabrikant & Jennifer Levine, 2013, Avid Readers Publishing Group

Website: http://www.whenkaylawaskyle.com/

Kyle is very sad, he prefers to play with Barbies rather than play sports, and is bullied by others at school. His father pushes him to play basketball which he dislikes, and he is scared of his father. His mother initially tells him to stick at it. Eventually Kyle declares that he is not like other boys, and his mother asks him if it's because he feels like a girl. His parents are accepting (although this is mostly his mother), although are initially unsure what to do. Kyle begins living as Kayla, which largely involves wearing dresses, skirts, and shoes, and getting a new hairstyle. Kayla's three oldest friends are accepting of her, although not everyone at school and in the community are. Most of the illustrations are in black and white, which become increasingly coloured as more dolls and dresses appear.

Although the ending is mostly happy, this is a very sad story about loneliness, bullying, and a fear of her father, which are all focused on for much of the book. The first step in the transition is Kyle 'liv[ing] as Kayla', after which female pronouns are used, and her transition focuses on her appearance (clothes, hair). There are also many gender normative issues in this book (sports versus Barbies), and phrases such as 'girl stuff' are used.

Themes: transgender, trans girl, bullying, emotions
When Leonard Lost His Spots: A Trans Parent Tail
Monique Costa & Marina Shupik, 2012, My Family!

Website: http://www.myfamilyproducts.com/books/parenting-and-relationships/when-leopard-lost-his-spots/

This story is told from the perspective of Cub, who was adopted by Leonard, and details the transition of Leonard the leopard to Leona the lioness. At a family party, Leonard declares he's a lion, not a leopard, and is met with laughter from some of the guests. Cub is confused and doesn't like the transition, which starts with Leona having long blonde hair and painting her nails and then removing her leopard spots. Cub is teased by others and attends a support group. Leona emphasises how much she loves Cub, but Cub still doesn't understand the transition by the end of the book.

This is a book features both species change and gender transition. Animals are gendered in the book (e.g. females with long blonde hair, males with short hair and a tie). For most of the book, Cub continues to refer to 'dad' and uses male pronouns, although Leona has changed her name. The book uses rhyming.

Themes: species change, gender transition, parent transition, parent/child, emotions
Who are you?: The kid's guide to gender identity
Brook Pessin-Whedbee & Naomi Bardoff, 2016, Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Website: https://kidsguidetogender.com/
Additional sources:
Boenke, M., & Dudley, D. (2004). Carly: She's Still My Daddy. The Transgender Network of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

Chapin, R. (2011). The Youngest Finds Joy. Lulu.

Hall, G. (2012). My Dad Wears Pirate Shoes. Expose.

Kelly, E., & Webster, E. (2003). The Little Boy: A Special Story about Daddy by Grandma & Mummy. Glebe, NSW: FTM Australia.

Martinez, J., & Winchester, K. (2011). My Mommy is a Boy. Lulu.

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This page offers a brief summary and review of picture books with trans and gender diverse characters. Please note that character pronouns and names are used as they appear in the books. 10,000 Dresses Marcus Ewert & Rex Ray, 2008, Seven Stories Press Website: http://catalog.sevenstories.com/products/dresses Bailey has dreams about imaginative different dresses which she wears, and wants a dress for herself.

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O’Donoghue, K. & Guerin, S. (2017). Homophobic and transphobic bullying: Barriers and supports to school intervention. Sex Education, 17(2), 220-234. doi:10.1080/14681811.2016.1267003

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Building respectful relationships early: Educating children on gender variance and sexual diversity. A response to Damien Riggs.

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Building respectful relationships early: Educating children on gender variance and sexual diversity. A response to Damien Riggs.

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By Robinson, K. (2013)

This article, a response to Damien Riggs' article 'Heteronormativity in Online Information about Sex: A South Australian case study', focuses on the main issues that are pertinent to children's early education in the area of gender variance and sexual diversity.

The author highlights the following three areas as being beneficial to all students: the importance of gender and sexual diversity awareness amongst educators, parents and children; the value of developing children's sexual citizenship and ability to build respectful relationships early in their schooling; and the significance of collaboration between early childhood educators and families in relation to sex education.

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This article, which is a response to Damien Riggs' article, 'Heteronormativity in Online Information about Sex: A South Australian Case Study', focuses on three main areas relevant to children's early education in this area. Firstly, it is important to increase parents', educators', and children's awareness of gender variance or gender diversity in children's and young people's lives. Gender variance is becoming increasingly visible, including in schooling, with some children and young people experiencing hostile reactions to their gender transgressions from their peers and also from some adults. Secondly, it is vital that the development of children's sexual citizenship and building respectful relationships starts early in children's lives through open and comprehensive sex and sexualities education in online, schooling, and family contexts. Attempts to include the development of knowledge and skills in building and maintaining respectful relationships and exploring the factors that influence gender and sexual identities in children's early education are hindered by discourses of childhood innocence. The third main area discussed is, in order to effectively address sex and sexualities education in children's lives, there is a need to address these issues in a collaborative manner between early childhood educators and families.

Allen, L. (2004) Beyond the Birds and the Bees: Constituting a discourse of erotics in sexuality education, Gender and Education, 16(2), 151-167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540250310001690555 Google Scholar

Allen, L. (2011) Young People and Sexuality Education: Rethinking key debates. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9780230297630 Google Scholar

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (2012) Australian Curriculum, Health and Physical Education: Foundation to Year 10, draft for consultation. http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Static/docs/HPE/F-10Curriculum.pdf. Google Scholar

Burns, K. (2004) Review Essay: Haynes, F. & McKenna, T. Unseen Genders: Beyond the binaries, Discourse, 25(4), 495-506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0159630042000290982 Google Scholar

Gould, L. (1978) X: A fabulous child's story. Daughters Publishing Company. http://coe.k-state.edu/about/download/profdev/X%20story.pdf. Google Scholar

Riley, E.A., Sitharthan, G., Clemson, L. & Diamond, M. (2011) The Needs of Gender-Variant Children and their Parents: A parent survey, International Journal of Sexual Health, 23(3), 181-195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2011.593932 Google Scholar

Robinson, K.H. (2013) Innocence, Knowledge and the Construction of Childhood: The contradictory nature of sexuality and censorship in children's contemporary lives. London: Routledge. Google Scholar

Robinson, K.H. & Davies, C. (2007) Tomboys and Sissy Girls: Young girls' negotiations of masculinity and femininity, International Journal of Equity and Innovation in Early Childhood, 5(2), 17-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12119-008-9037-7 Google Scholar

Wallien, M. & Cohen-Kettenis, P. (2008) Psychosexual Outcome of Gender-Dysphoric Children, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(12), 1413-1423. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e31818956b9 Google Scholar

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Building Respectful Relationships Early: Educating Children on Gender Variance and Sexual Diversity. A Response to Damien Riggs

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This article, which is a response to Damien Riggs' article, 'Heteronormativity in Online Information about Sex: A South Australian Case Study', focuses on three main areas relevant to children's early education in this area. Firstly, it is important to increase parents', educators', and children's awareness of gender variance or gender diversity in children's and young people's lives.

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Non judgmental | Confidential | Anonymous Switchboard Victoria is a community based not for profit organisation that provides peer based, volunteer run support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people and their friends, families and allies.

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http://www.switchboard.org.au

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Parentline is a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. We offer confidential and anonymous counselling on parenting issues.

Calls from a landline are charged at a local call rate. Mobile call rates will depend on your network provider. Check with your provider if you're unsure.

We are happy to call you back to minimise the cost to you. If you choose a call back, we will ring back and you'll be placed at the front of the queue until you're connected with the next available counsellor.

What we do

Our qualified counsellors are available to:

talk about any issues to do with parenting and your relationships with your child

help you with ways to cope and be a positive parent

help with your family's wellbeing and resilience

connect you with services in your area.

Your call

We respect your privacy. Your call is confidential and anonymous.

Calls are not time limited and you can call back as often as you need.

Our qualified counsellors have social work or psychology backgrounds. You can ask for a male or female counsellor and ask to speak to the same counsellor if you call back again.

We can assist non-English speaking carers connect to a translating service.

If you're hearing impared, you can call Parentline using the National Relay Service.

Some reasons to ring Parentline

We can discuss a range of issues about parenting, including:

child behaviour and development

parent / carer child relationships

education

bullying

living with teenagers

family violence

family breakdown

parental stress

"I often lack confidence in what I am doing so being able to talk with someone was really great for me. I did not feel put down or judged."

Read some common parent concerns

Here are some examples of when Parentline counsellors have explored solutions with callers:

'My 8 and 10 year old continuously fight.'

'I am worried that my child is bullied at school.'

'My stepchildren ignore me.'

'My 12 year old daughter is on the internet a lot and I am not sure what she is doing.'

'I suspect that my 14 year old is seeing an 18 year old.'

'Child care had told me that my 2 year old is biting other children.'

'I feel like hitting my 4 year old, I don't want to, but I am at my wits end.'

'My 15 year old has hit me.'

'I read my daughter's Facebook - she said that she doesn't want to live anymore.'

'My 2 year old has lots of tantrums and I am struggling.'

'I'm worried about how my relationship with my partner is affecting my children.'

'My son seems very fearful and anxious, and I'm worried he's not coping.'

'I can't seem to talk to my 14 year old daughter without getting into a screaming match.'

'I was most impressed that Parentline took my issues seriously. Sometimes I feel as if I am banging my head against a brick wall but I felt I got somewhere after the call.'

Give us your feedback

Share your experience in our caller survey

"I often lack confidence in what I am doing so being able to talk with someone was really great for me. I did not feel put down or judged..."

"I felt a connection with the counsellor. They tailored (the call) to my situation."

Support for professionals

We can talk with professionals who are also working with families around parenting issues.

We also regualrly visit government and community organisations to talk about the service. Parentline posters in various languages and magents are available to order.

Other help services

General advice lines

Family Relationship Advice Line - a national telephone service which assists families affected by relationship or separation issues

MensLine Australia - a national telephone and online counselling service for men with family or relationships concerns

Kids Helpline - a national telephone and online counselling service for young people ages between 5 and 25

Help outside Victoria

Legal and medical

Parentline counsellors cannot provide Legal or Medical information.

For legal and advice services, see: Legal Aid Victoria

For medical advice, call:

Parenting Groups

Parenting advice

Translations

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Parentline is a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. We offer confidential and anonymous counselling on parenting issues. Calls from a landline are charged at a local call rate. Mobile call rates will depend on your network provider. Check with your provider if you're unsure.

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Pictures 1-3

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Pictures 4-5

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Pictures 6-7

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Describe the characteristics of respectful relationships and suggest ways that respectful relationships can be achieved (VCPSCSO031)
Define and recognise examples of stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice and discuss how they impact on the individual (VCPSCSO030)

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Respectful Relationships: A Resource Kit for Victorian Schools - FUSE - Department of Education & Training

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This resource kit is a guide for schools implementing the whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships, an initiative that supports schools to promote and model respect and gender equality - and teach students how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence.

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Understanding the difference between sex and gender p. 70.
Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity. p. 84.
Positive gender relationships p. 92
Homophobia (gender based violence) p.95

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Not specific to homophobia but used in the whole school approach in creating positive attitudes in children on diversity, peoples rights, equality and respectful relationships.

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Homophobic and transphobic bullying: Barriers and supports to school intervention.

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Homophobic and transphobic bullying: Barriers and supports to school intervention.

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By O’Donoghue, K. & Guerin, S. (2017)

This article details a study that explores the perceived barriers and supports to the management of homophobic and transphobic bullying in school settings.

Main barriers include student and teacher discomfort in discussing issues within this area of diversity, low priority given to this type of bullying, and parental views on homosexuality.

Supports to counter these barriers include appropriate training for teachers and students, consistent treatment of homophobic bullying and appropriate management support.

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Robinson, K. H. (2013). Building respectful relationships early: Educating children on gender variance and sexual diversity. A response to Damien Riggs. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 14(1), 81-87. doi:10.2304/ciec.2014.14.1.81

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School experiences of transgender and gender diverse students in Australia

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School experiences of transgender and gender diverse students in Australia

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By Jones, T., Smith, E., Ward, R., Dixon, J., Hillier, L., & Mitchell, A. (2016)

This article provides an in-depth exploration into historical and current trends speaking about and respectfully supporting issues around gender-diversity.

Analysing key research data, this article provides insight into the mindset of trans and gender-diverse students - highlighting challenges faced in school environments such as gender-segregation, uniform policies, and relationships with staff and other students.

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Abstract
Over the last decade, there has been an increase in global and local policy protections on the basis of gender identity and expression in education and a recent spate of coverage of transgender students on Australian television and news media. This paper explores the school experiences of Australian transgender and gender diverse students', with particular consideration of recognition of their gender identity in documentation, experiences of puberty and sexuality education, treatment by staff and students, and other forms of provision. It reports on the findings of a 2013 study which combined a survey of 189 transgender and gender diverse Australian students aged 14-25 years, with 16 online interviews with members of this group. The study was informed by a community advisory group which included a range of transgender, gender diverse and intersex people. Findings include both quantitative and qualitative data, detailing a trend towards more disruptive, fluid and inconsistent identifications by members of this student group, and a diversification of their needs at school. Student advocacy on topics including sexuality and puberty education was shown to be common and also useful in improving individual well-being and social outcomes. We offer some reflections towards more useful school practices and future research.

Introduction

At the 'global' level, transgender and gender diverse people have recently featured more prominently in policies related to education. Contributing factors include recent transgender activism against the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostical Statistics Manual's construction of transgender and gender diverse people: cast as suffering from 'Gender Identity Disorder' in the Paraphilias and Sexual Dysfunction section (Drescher and Byne ). The manual now features a less stigmatising view of this group as potentially (but not always) suffering from 'Gender Dysphoria', a diagnosis which no longer applies when a sense of gender affirmation is achieved (given its own section).

The rights of transgender and gender diverse students to equal access in education and sexuality education more specifically have also been recognised internationally in the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (UNESCO ) the Rio Statement (UNESCO ) and the Born Free and Equal policy (United Nations ). Against this background, this paper considers the extent to which such equal access to education generally, and sexuality education in particular, is supported for Australian transgender and gender diverse students. It provides insight into the developing fields of transgender and gender diverse student rights in Australia, reviews research on the topic, explains the theoretical framing and methods of a 2014 study constructed to reveal whether these rights are observed in schooling, and discusses key findings and conclusions.

Background: transgender and gender diverse rights in Australia

Australia's first official 'legal transsexual' transitioned legally through an amended birth certificate with the Births, Deaths and Marriages Department of NSW in 1987, and all Australian jurisdictions have since recognised the affirmed sex of an individual after surgery unless the person is married (Jones et al. ). However, requirements for transgender individuals to have received certain surgeries (including being sterilised) differ by state, and 2013 government guidelines recommended that this disparity be addressed by 2016 (Australian Government ). These guidelines support individuals to consistently identify and be recognised within the community as a gender other than the sex or gender they were assigned at birth, as intersex or as an indeterminate sex and/or gender in their personal records (Australian Government ). Sex reassignment surgery and/or hormone therapy are no longer prerequisites for the recognition of a gender change in Australian Government records or passports (which may be issued in male/M, female/F or indeterminate/unspecified/intersex/X1. See www.passports.gov.au/web/sexgenderapplicants.aspx. View all notes ). Subsequent changes have sought to revise Medicare policies to ensure less discrimination around healthcare benefits (Plibersek and McLucas ).

In Australia, transgender and gender diverse young people have not been highly visible in the media or protective policies historically, and a few vocal Australian radical feminists and conservative religious groups have even framed young people undergoing gender affirmation processes as 'child abuse' (Karvelas Karvelas, Patricia . 2013. "Sex-swap Kids Being 'abused'." Miletic, Daniella , and Rachel Browne. 2013. "Landmark Ruling in Hormone Treatment Case." Kissane, Karen. 2009. "Court Lets Girl 17 Remove Breasts." Fewster, Sean . 2013. "Family Court Permits Orphaned Girl 13 to Undergo Gender Change." Miletic, Daniella , and Rachel Browne. 2013. "Landmark Ruling in Hormone Treatment Case." 2013 2013 The Age. Accessed August 1 2013. 2009 2013 2013 The Age. Accessed August 1 2013. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/landmark-ruling-in-hormone-treatment-case-20130801-2r23g.html ). Herald Sun. Accessed July 17 2013. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/family-court-permits-orphaned-girl-13-to-undergo-gender-change/story-fni0d7e4-1226680759364. ), and it appears likely that courts will become unnecessary to approve transition treatments in the future (Miletic and Browne The Age. Accessed May 04 2009. http://www.theage.com.au/national/court-lets-girl-17-remove-breasts-20090503-arem.html?page=-1 ; Fewster http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/landmark-ruling-in-hormone-treatment-case-20130801-2r23g.html ). However, transgender and gender diverse students have been achieving an increasing level of visibility through online social networking groups, through the work of specially focussed government and non-government organisations (such as the Safe Schools Coalition, Ygender and others), and in media coverage (including The Australian. Accessed July 27 2013. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/sex-swap-kids-being-abused/story-fn59niix-1226686573568 ; Miletic and Browne Four Corners and various ABC2 television documentaries in 2014). Family Courts have been supporting adolescents to commence using puberty blockers and gender affirmation surgery in their teens (McCredie ; Kissane

Australia's Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013 provides protection against discrimination in schools on the basis of gender identity and expression (with some exemptions for religious schools), and all states and territories have prohibited discrimination in education related to transgender issues (Jones ).2. Grounds at the state level in Australia include either gender identity, transsexuality, transgender status, chosen gender or gender history (see Jones for further information on state and territory protections). VIC Government. 2007. Victorian Government Schools Reference Guide. edited by VIC Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Melbourne: VIC Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Jones, Tiffany , and Lynne Hillier. 2012. "Sexuality Education School Policy for GLBTIQ Students." View all notes There are specific education policy guidelines addressing equal access for transgender and gender diverse students in Victoria (VIC Government 2007 2012, 2013 Sex Education 12 (4): 437-454.10.1080/14681811.2012.677211
Jones, Tiffany , and Lynne Hillier. 2013. "Comparing Trans-spectrum and Same-sex Attracted Youth: Increased Risks, Increased Activisms." Journal of LGBT Youth 10 (4): 287-307.10.1080/19361653.2013.825197. ). They emphasise the need to combat discrimination and to allow students opportunities to become involved in creating their own schooling management plans. http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/governance/referenceguide/default.htm. ) and Tasmania (TAS Department of Education ). However, these policies are not as detailed or as widely known about as corresponding state provisions on homophobia or sexual diversity (Jones and Hillier

Research on transgender and gender diverse students

Most international research on transgender and gender diverse students has focused on medical and psychological interventions, risk determinants, negative pathways and victimisation (Carrera, DePalma, and Lameiras ; Menvielle ; Donatone and Rachlin ). This focus, and the recruitment methods associated with it (such as directly through clinics and health service providers), reinforces negative stereotypes of transgender people as living risky lives. However, the evidence that institutions can mistreat these young people is strong.

A UK survey of 889 transgender participants aged over 18 years found that 63% were discriminated against in mental health services and 65% in general health services (McNeil et al. ). Further, 90% of participants had been told that transgender people were not normal and 84% had thought of suicide, with 35% attempting it - reflecting findings from other research on increased risk of discrimination and suicide risks (Clements-Nolle, Marx, and Katz ; Grossman and D'Augelli ; Stieglitz ). A USA survey found that transgender students were frequently managed with strategies designed for gay students, which had little or nothing to do with their identities or needs (McGuire et al. ). Other studies have similarly noted the lack of relevant sexual education (Clements-Nolle et al. ; Grossman and D'Augelli ; Rosario ). Beyond institutional mistreatment, international research also shows family rejection and (verbal and physical) abuse to be common for these students (Grossman, D'Augelli, and Salter ; Varjas et al. ). While acknowledging suffering is important, the international literature often overlooks positive pathways and protective factors for the group.

To date, Australian studies of transgender and gender diverse people have mainly focused on adults (Couch et al. ; Pitts et al. ; Jones, Gray, and Harris ; Jones et al. ). However, a recent Australian study of 3134 same-sex attracted students included 91 transgender and gender diverse students aged 14-21 (Jones and Hillier ). Compared to cisgendered same-sex attracted young people, transgender and gender diverse students were significantly more likely to have known their diverse identity earlier; disclosed this identity to people in their networks; and to have suffered discriminatory physical abuse. They were also significantly more likely to self-harm and attempt suicide. In contrast, such students were twice as likely to seek help or engage in activism as cisgender same-sex attracted students. The Australian Growing Up Queer study (Robinson et al. ) found that the Internet provided same-sex attracted and gender diverse young people with sophisticated understandings about gender, sex and sexuality and that this was particularly the case for young people with transgender identities. Similar to findings from the larger study, 25% of the young people in this study, who had experienced transphobia at school, said that these experiences led them to activism (Robinson et al. ). These findings suggest the importance of activism for transgender and gender diverse students, but did not explore the type of activism engaged in or its impacts on the students concerned.

Framing and defining transgender and gender diverse students

European writing before the nineteenth century made little reference to transgender variance in relation to identity, but only with respect to the violation of social roles (Foucault ; Garber ). By the start of the twentieth century, gender variance was associated in a Freudian frame with the psychological disorder of 'inversion', combining homosexuality and role confusion (Freud ; Chauncey ). Individuals' and groups' attempts at 'crossing' over between (then) distinct male and female gender roles were understood as contributing to a broader degeneration of the species (Halberstam ). During the First and Second World Wars, anxieties about moves towards indistinct gender roles were furthered as women took on 'male' factory jobs and domestic tasks. Due to the pervasive anxiety that women were trying to 'replace' men, liberal and radical feminist rights analyses since that time sometimes drew a clear line between pushing for a breakdown of gender role distinctions and the push for women to be seen 'as' men, and therefore sometimes quite actively excluded transgender people from pushes for political progress (Tuttle ).

Post-modern and post-structuralist feminisms from the 1980s and Queer theory in the 1990s considered women's rights in ways which were less problematic for transgender people (Califia ; Butler , ). These frames challenged essentialist notions of identity (male, female, gay, straight or otherwise) and posited gender as culturally constructed, although this sometimes led to work lacking a focus on material experience. More recent transgender studies have aimed at affirming the right to self-definition and the right to more positive representation in narratives and research representations (Stone ). They had a comparatively stronger focus on embodiment overall. There is also a stronger focus on the material in more recent work by 'brain sex' biologists, who sometimes theorise transgender people as having brain areas which were impacted upon through hormonal exposure in the womb and contribute to their diverse identity (Pease and Pease ).

In researching transgender and gender diverse people, it was important to consider how newer framings of transgender people do not simply 'replace' older ones, but coexist in tension with them, along with residual psychological frames reshaping inversion into newer concepts of gender identity disorder and gender dysphoria. Various different framings of transgender student identities have been seen in research studies as reflecting or disrupting the dominant social order (Jones ). Given contrasting accounts as to whether transgender identities are linked to brain chemistries or cultural context, and given that transgender people may themselves see their identities in queer, psychiatric, medical, biological or other terms (by self-definition), we were careful to keep this project 'open' to a wide range of issues of relevance to transgender experience and diversity.

We sought in particular to draw upon insights provided by Foucault's work () on power and sexuality, and queer and transgender studies (Califia ; Butler , ; Jagose ; Nagoshi and Brzury ). We rejected the notion of there being any one grand meta-narrative relevant to Australian transgender and gender diverse student identity, seeking 'truth' instead in a post-structuralist manner that allowed for the recognition of identity positions' partialities, in the spirit of Morton and Zavarzadeh's notion of 'incompleteness and committedness' (, 12). In particular, our study sought to engage with queer theory's interest in (de)constructions of sex and gender (Butler ; Jagose ) and transgender studies' interest in narratives of self-definition and embodied experience (Nagoshi and Brzury ).

In consequence, we cast 'transgender' as a fractured and discursively contested/constructed term associated with multiple meanings open to multiple interpretations. We use this frame so as not to limit the data or exclude transgender students with variant experiences. With respect to transgender and gender diverse student identities, we favour those presented to us by those who applied these terms to themselves rather than external definitions. We reject cis-sexist views of gender that either do not allow for trans identities at all or cast them as 'sinful', disordered psychological frames (Hepp et al. ; Walls and Costello ; Gahan, Jones, and Hillier ) and radical feminist notions of transgender people as 'victims of patriarchy' (Jeffreys ). We instead aim to follow the transgender studies precept that it is possible for transgender people to have empowered and positive experiences (Stone ; Nagoshi and Brzury ).

Against this background, we sought to gather evidence on how transgender and gender diverse students experienced school, including information relevant to their gender and sexual identities. We also aimed to collect data on transgender and gender diverse young people's involvement in school activism, building on earlier research, suggesting greater engagement in activism than same-sex attracted students (Jones and Hillier ). We worked with a community advisory group of transgender, gender diverse and intersex people (including young people) to advise on study design. This group played a pivotal role in ensuring the research was relevant, sensitive and respectful.

Study design

Recruitment

A broad-based recruitment strategy was used for the online survey and interviews conducted between April and September of 2013. Members of the community advisory group used their professional networks to promote the survey and its importance. A media release was distributed to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex organisations, mainstream community and youth services and media outlets. A number of articles were published online including in Australian queer magazines and newspapers. Business cards and postcard-sized recruitment flyers were produced which included a QR code that could be scanned with a smart phone in order to complete the survey on that platform. These cards were sent to organisations and support groups which worked directly with transgender people across Australia. The survey and recruitment material included a kite logo consisting of a colour spectrum of dots to symbolise uplifting feelings and positivity in young people's lives. The survey was also promoted on the national radio station Triple J, the community radio station 3CR and through Facebook and Tumblr multiple times.

Survey

Two-hundred and twelve people completed an online survey hosted by the programme Demographix. Once the raw data had been cleaned and cases that did not fit the criteria for inclusion, such as age, were removed from the data-set, 189 valid participants remained. Young people spent from 20 minutes to over an hour answering the questions. The survey asked both closed (multiple choice) and open-ended (text-based) questions about demographic characteristics, gender and sexual identity(ies), social and medical transitioning, experiences at school, mental health and the role of activism in young people's lives. Survey participants came from every state and territory in Australia, in numbers proportionate to the population more generally.

Interviews

Our study also used an online instant messenger platform that allowed for real-time interviews with 16 transgender and gender diverse students aged 14-25. This interview technique allowed young people to participate without their bodies being seen by the interviewer, thus reducing any potential discomfort informants might feel about their gender identity as read in this context. Interviewees were recruited through the survey itself, which provided willing participants with the researchers' email and phone contact details. Online interviews explored protective factors, engagement in activism as well as how participants accessed knowledge about sex, gender and gender identity(ies). Interviews lasted between 1 and 2 hours in total. Interviewees came from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.

Analysis

Survey data were analysed using SPSS, version 21, to deliver both descriptive and comparative statistics. Interview data were analysed in a grounded manner using the qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS): NVivo, version 10. Narratives within the interview data were coded according to the principal themes that emerged.

Ethical considerations

Previous research has shown that transgender and gender diverse young people often become aware that their gender identity(ies) do not match their sex assigned at birth early in their lives (Hillier et al. Hillier, Lynne , Tiffany Jones, Marisa Monagle, Naomi Overton, , Jennifer Blackman, and Anne Mitchell. 2010. 2010 Writing Themselves in 3: The Third National Study on the Sexual Health and Wellbeing of Same-Sex Attracted and Gender Questioning Young People. Melbourne: La Trobe University, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society. ). Therefore, it was imperative that people under the age of 18 years were able to participate in this research. In order to protect young people from potential dangers of abuse within their families (Grossman et al. ), we ensured participants did not require parental or guardian consent to participate in the research, with anonymity guaranteed through the use of pseudonyms. The study was approved by research ethics review committees at the University of New England and La Trobe University.

Findings

Demographic characteristics

Of the 189 transgender and gender diverse students who responded to the survey, the average age was 19 years. Most (84%) were born in Australia, 5% in England, 3% in New Zealand and the remaining 8% in other countries (Bolivia, Iraq, Japan and others). Less than 5% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Although a wide range of states was represented, the majority of respondents lived in Victoria (58%) and New South Wales (19%), a finding echoing other Australian data (Jones et al. ) and perhaps related to the higher number of transgender support services in these states. The majority of respondents were assigned female at birth (72.5%), a smaller group were assigned male (26.5%) and two were not assigned a sex. In total, 40% of participants indicated that they were in a relationship at the time of the survey. Based on the list of options provided, half (50%) of the transgender and gender diverse students identified their sexual orientation as either pansexual or queer, 17% identified as gay/lesbian/ homosexual, 10% bisexual, 5% heterosexual, 5% questioning, 5% other and 3% asexual.

Gender identity

One half ( n = 192) of the survey participants reported gender identities beyond the male-female binary (16% genderqueer, 10% gender fluid, 7% agender, 5% trans*, 4% androgynous, 4% questioning, 2% bi-gender and 2% other, e.g. 'pangender'). These identities were generally referred to in both the qualitative survey data and the interviews as related to an absence of gender or a feeling of being between or beyond gender positions. For example, interviewee Alex (agender, 15 years) said, 'I don't feel a presence of gender'. Interviewee Charlie (genderqueer, 20 years) explained, 'I never saw myself as a girl (by birth sex) but couldn't see myself as a boy ... transgender doesn't fit'. Other participants in the survey had identities fitting a male-female binary considered 'oppositional' to their allocated sex at birth (13% boy/man, 13% girl/woman, 6% trans man, 6% trans woman, 6% FtM, 5% MtF or 1% brotherboy).

However, interviewee Charlotte (24 years, trans woman) explained in a manner typical of many members of this second group of survey participants that being transgender even in a more classic sense was not straightforward: 'Personally, I identify as female but there are times where I identify as male'. Survey participants were also asked to select pronouns they liked applied to themselves; 46% chose 'she', 42% 'he', 35% 'they' and over 5% offered 'other' terms (like 'yo' and 'ze'). One-fifth of the survey participants indicated that they 'did not care' which pronoun is used, possibly reflecting the trend towards non-binary and inconsistent identities. Nearly one-third of the students in the survey had always questioned their gender identity; the remainder nominated a specific age (from 3 to 24, on average 14). Questioning one's gender identity can be a complex process that does not necessarily end; participants repeatedly identified their explorations as ongoing.

Transition

Social transitioning involves affirming how one wishes to be perceived and treated, one's ideal social role (e.g. declaring one's gender identity and preferred pronouns, changing or affirming one's presentation and role, etc.). Most (77%) of the participants had been or were involved in this process, 7% wanted to do so in the future and 15% did not want to. For some survey participants, social transitioning mainly involved not conforming to gender norms: 'I don't wear make-up, I don't shave, I don't wear heels, I don't wear bras very often ... and I feel I have a male persona, at least some times' (Spencer, gender-questioning young person, 18 years).

Legal transitioning involves having one's desired gender identity affirmed on official documents (e.g. birth certificate, licence or passport, etc.). Of the 169 survey participants who had these documents, 17% had changed their birth certificate and driver's licence, only 13% had changed their proof of age card and only 10% had changed their passport. Participants' stories suggested that their age and perceived inexperience impacted on opportunities to proceed with legal transitions such as changing a passport, despite over half (54%) of the survey participants wanting to do so.

Medically transitioning involves accessing medical, hormonal and/or surgical aids (e.g. using puberty blockers or hormone injections/pills/creams, getting 'top' or 'bottom' surgeries, etc.) to transform one's body and affirm one's gender. Just over one-quarter (26%) of the survey participants had or were currently medically transitioning; 33% wished to do so in the future. For some survey participants, medical transitioning was linked to feelings of mental well-being. Sarah (MTF, 21 years) desired to have 'a FULL transition i.e. name, clothes, sex reassignment surgery' to gain social acceptance and feel 'better'. However, 40% of the survey participants did not want to have a medical transition. This matched to some degree with the relatively large numbers of non-binary gender identities in the survey sample compared to in other studies (Couch et al. Couch, Murray , , , , , and . 2007. 2007 Tranznation: A Report on the Health and Wellbeing of Transgendered People in Australia and New Zealand. Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society. ; Jones et al. ). Survey participant Shannon (trans*, 25 years), for example, explained that transitioning medically was unnecessary for their particular gender affirmation: 'I doubt I will ever go "all the way" to "male" from "female" ... I still wear the same clothes, do the same things, my life just makes more sense now. I just want to be acknowledged for who I am'.

General school experience

Whilst we do not claim our sample is representative, it is important to note that survey participants were currently or had previously attended all Australian school types: Government (47%), Christian (18%), general private (10%), vocational education and other secondary provision institutions (19%) and 'other' forms of schooling (e.g. distance education) (6%). This is noteworthy because it shows that it would be incorrect to assume that religious school types, for example, 'do not have' transgender or gender diverse students, although in Australia, religious schools may obtain national legal exemptions from discrimination on the basis of gender identity in their service provisions to students (Australian Parliament Australian Parliament. 2013. 2013 Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013 (Cth) (SDA Amendment Act). Canberra: Australian Parliament. ). Overall, 25% of the survey participants reported that they avoided their schools because they cannot conform to the gender stereotypes dominant within these contexts, including 50% of those in Christian schools.

Basic record-keeping

Just under one-tenth of transgender and gender diverse students surveyed had formally changed their gender on their school records. A further 41% reported wanting to do so. Thus, about half of the group felt that changing their gender on their school record was a key part of their educational experience. One-third of students surveyed did not want to have their gender changed in this way: a trend linked to their non-binary gender identities for some and for others to not feeling safe to declare their gender identity at school. One interview participant, Charlotte (24 years), reported maintaining a silence about her gender identity to avoid affecting a family member's career: 'I was at a Christian school and my mum worked there as a teacher. So, I always had this fear that if I told one of my friends my secret, it would cause my mother to lose her job'.

Sexuality and puberty education classes

To find out how appropriate sexuality and puberty education was perceived as being, we asked participants in the survey to rate provision at their current/most recent school as 'mostly appropriate', 'mostly inappropriate' or 'don't know/not applicable'. With respect to sexuality education, two-thirds of the survey participants rated their schools' provision as mostly inappropriate and less than 10% as mostly appropriate. Students at Christian schools were most likely to indicate that their sexuality education was mostly inappropriate (85%); none found it mostly appropriate. In relation to puberty education, over half (55%) of the survey participants reported provisions were mostly inappropriate. One Female to Male survey participant Nathan (21 years) explained, 'sex education class did not mention trans or intersex' and characterised his puberty education teachers as 'mostly intolerant staff'. Boston, a gender-questioning survey participant (18 years), noted that provision for gender diversity in sexuality and puberty education in their all-girls school was very limited: 'we are told to be "lady-like", our sex ed. was appalling'.

Counselling

Younger survey participants (14-17-year olds) were more likely to have been provided with trans-inclusive counselling at school (67%; compared to 37% of 18-21-year olds and 22% of 22-25-year olds). This may suggest a story of changing attitudes for school counsellors in recent years. Participants who attended government schools were more likely to indicate that counselling provision was appropriate for them compared to those from Christian schools. Timothy, a trans boy/man survey participant (22 years), commented that religious and psychological counselling at his Christian school were not separated out; 'the only counselling that I knew of in school was from our school Chaplain (who was) the last person I would feel comfortable talking to about my gender identity'.

Segregation of facility use

Over 40% of the survey participants felt that gender segregation (such as lining up in rows of boys and girls, or segregation for learning, etc.) was too often applied at their school. Karen, a trans girl/woman survey participant (18 years), said she was not 'out' at school, but because it was a very gendered environment in which she faced discrimination: 'I was routinely ridiculed for doing things that were considered "inappropriate" for my presumed gender'. Over one-third of the students surveyed felt that the changing rooms (41%) and toilets (44%) at their school were mostly inappropriate. Bryce, a FTM survey participant (18 years), noted, 'I was made to use a disabled toilet instead of the male toilets'. Being transgender or gender diverse is not a disability, and being unable to use a toilet fitting one's gender identity can be distressing.

Interviewee Theo (transgender, 14 years) said that whilst he felt that school was generally 'pretty great', it was hardest in physical education 'cause' EVERYTHING is split into 'boys' and 'girls', and me and my best friend (who is also transgender) have considered just not going to that class'. He was concerned that there were no gender-neutral toilets, 'so I have to avoid going to the loo at school (which SUCKS)'. Like many other survey participants, Kelly (genderqueer, 24 years) discussed how gender-segregated facilities encouraged remaining silent about one's gender diversity; 'my all-boys private school encouraged a hypermasculine environment'. Conversely, Henry, a FTM survey participant (18 years), described how mixed classes offered a more supportive environment: 'From years 7-9 classes were single sex and I found this very uncomfortable. In senior school (10-12) I have been more comfortable with mixed classes. I have socially transitioned, with the school's permission; they were accommodating'.

Uniform

There was no particular trend to the data on the perceived appropriateness of school uniforms. For some young people, the uniform code at their school was strongly gendered. For example, Ashley (genderqueer survey participant, 23 years) described how girls were discouraged from wearing trousers at their school and boys were given detention for 'wearing "girls" uniforms' and Martin (transgender boy, 16 years) described how depressed he was being 'forced to wear a dress/skirt' at school. Zane, a FTM survey participant (25 years), described attending an all-girls private school where there were no masculine uniform options; 'A person who requested trousers at assembly was laughed at and bullied for years'. For other survey participants and interviewees, their school had offered greater flexibility. Interviewee Cinder (transgender, 18 years) said, 'Having uniform policies that recognise the needs of transgender and gender diverse young people would make a difference to student wellbeing'.

Staff

Survey participants who reported receiving no teacher support were over four times more likely to leave school (23% compared to 5% of those with teacher support). They were also over twice as likely to hide at lunch (50% compared to 23% of those who had teacher support). They were at increased risk of various types of harassment and abuse, including specifically being bullied on mobile phones (27% compared to 8% of those who had teacher support), by written abuse (27% compared to 11% of those who had teacher support) and through discriminatory language from friends (62% compared to 31% of those who had teacher support).

Students whose teachers' use of pronouns, name or identity, was perceived as 'mostly inappropriate', experienced increased abuse from peers and suffered poorer educational outcomes compared to those whose teachers used appropriate language. They were more likely to report being unable to concentrate in class (54% compared to 22%), that their marks had dropped (54% compared to 26%) or that they dropped out of school entirely (22% compared to 6%). Interviewee Bailey (trans boy/man, 16 years) discussed the difficulties he experienced in having his principal use 'mostly inappropriate' language (pronouns, name or identity) in referring to him:

The school principal said he will never call me a male or use male pronouns until I have my gender reassignment therapy done, which will never happen until I [have] left school. (...) It makes me depressed so much that a lot of the time I can't focus at school. Sometimes I really hate myself for this, and I want to die, or to hit myself so hard so that I could faint.

Supportive classmates

About two-thirds (65%) of the survey participants experienced verbal abuse on the basis of their gender difference and 21% experienced physical abuse on the basis of their gender difference. The most common location where this abuse took place was reported to the street (40%), closely followed by the school (38%). Over 90% of the survey participants who had experienced physical abuse had thought about suicide.

A key protective factor for gender diverse and transgender students was support from classmates. Participants with supportive classmates were less likely to experience various forms of harassment and discrimination at school. Overall, 68% of the survey participants without supportive classmates reported experiencing 'social exclusion', compared to 30% of those with supportive classmates. Survey participants without supportive classmates were also more likely to report having rumours spread about them (50% compared to 36% with supportive classmates); having graffiti written about them (27 vs. 3%); being bullied on the social media (47 vs. 21%); being humiliated (53 vs. 28%); or having people deliberately use the wrong pronoun or name (50 vs. 26%).

Participants without supportive classmates were also more likely to move schools (27% compared to 7% with supportive classmates); miss classes (47 vs. 22%); and hide at recess/lunch (50 vs. 21%). Robin, a genderqueer survey participant (21 years), had no supportive classmates and said, 'I'd get called dyke, fag, freak, shemale, shim ... They'd just be yelling it to be cruel and try and shame me'. Accounts given in both the survey and interview data revealed that speaking out against such incidents was more difficult for a transgender or gender diverse student to do without the aid of peers.

Positive outcomes of activism

Previous research has found that transgender and gender diverse young people in Australia are twice as likely to be involved in activism around gender and sexual diversity/difference as their cisgender same-sex attracted peers, possibly due to higher levels of experience of discrimination (Jones and Hillier Jones, Tiffany , and Lynne Hillier. 2013. "Comparing Trans-spectrum and Same-sex Attracted Youth: Increased Risks, Increased Activisms." 2013 Journal of LGBT Youth 10 (4): 287-307.10.1080/19361653.2013.825197. ).

The majority (91%) of participants in the survey reported having taken part in at least one activism activity. Over half felt better about their gender identity after participating in activism (60%). Over half of the survey participants reported having had fun (57%) and feeling part of a larger community (55%). Involvement in activism also made students feel more resilient (33%), eased their depression (30%) and reduced their thoughts of self-harm (30%) and suicide (31%). Furthermore, 24% of the survey participants reported that participating in activism stopped them engaging in an act of self-harm or suicide attempt. This meant that regardless of whether the activism had results in the long term for the transgender 'cause' being advocated for, the act of activism potentially was reported by every participants to have had an immediate life-saving impact and likely helped their well-being. Riley, a genderqueer survey participant (17 years), whose comment was typical of survey and interview responses on this topic, explained that involvement in activism made them feel like they were changing the world and that this had a positive effect on them: 'I feel as though engaging in a positive action, something that adds to the world, lifts my spirits greatly'. Lynnette, a trans girl/woman, (23 years), said, 'I feel proactive, and that my voice is valued and worthwhile'.

Types of activism

Transgender and gender diverse students engaged in diverse activism activities; the most popular types involved minimal labour, considering their potential well-being impacts. Survey participants most commonly indicated they 'liked' an activist Facebook page or other social media site (83%), signed a petition (80%), improved understanding through conversation (70%) or attended a march or rally (52%). However, some survey participants reported engaging in more substantial/labour-intensive activities: they created an activist blog (30%), wrote to a local member of parliament (22%), uploaded a video to the Internet (20%), gave a speech at a march/rally (10%) or helped organise a march/rally (9%).

Students gave various reasons in both the survey and interviews for engaging in activism; most were tied to the need for improvements in society for gender diverse and transgender people. In this way, activism was often seen as a responsibility. Greg, a trans boy/man survey participant (21 years), said, 'activism is the rent I pay for living on Earth'. John, a trans boy/man survey participant, (20 years) discussed the sense of contradiction he experienced in knowing the importance of activism and just wanting to be a regular guy (or in trans discourse, wanting to 'go stealth'):

I'm in a strange state where I want nothing to do with the activism side - I'm happy to be a stealth, regular guy. But on the other hand, I have a deeply felt rage and sadness about the state of things, and a feeling of social responsibility to look after people who are marginalised in the same ways as I have been, and to improve things for them if I can. They seem to be mutually exclusive options - activism or stealth. One I hate because it means I can't just live as a normal guy - I always have to be 'trans', and I hate that. The other I hate because it means turning my back on people who really do need all the help they can get, when I'm in a position to really help change things.

The emergence of a juxtaposition between 'going stealth' and 'engaging in activism' in the data was tied to the widely expressed view that engaging in activism required one to disclose a transgender identity. Certainly, some activism shows transgender and gender diverse people engaged in involved coming 'out' as transgender - such as by making a personal appearance in YouTube video clips featuring their own bodies and stories or discussing their own personal experiences in a speech at school. However, the claiming of a transgender identity does not need to be central to activism. Websites and online activism can also be created anonymously and general information can be distributed in a poster or a speech without the author discussing their own personal background. Schools could potentially provide a context in which training on advocacy might offer students opportunities to learn about impersonal activism techniques. Staff could also provide opportunities for students to engage in whole class/school events such as awareness raising days, where all students wear a certain symbol of support for gender diversity or learn about this theme together in ways supportive of gender diversity without requiring individuals to claim a particular identity.

Conclusion

The data discussed in this paper suggested that Australian schools of all types may have transgender and gender diverse students, and therefore should make provision on the assumption that there may be closeted transgender and gender diverse students in their care. There were both diversity and complexity in the gender identities (both non-binary and binary) of transgender and gender diverse students in this study and their needs as students were similarly variable. Because of this, it is likely that schools, teachers and teacher educators will need to offer a suitable nuanced response. The data suggest that it could be useful to transgender and gender diverse students if teachers and school leadership were trained in appropriate, supportive behaviour and language towards gender diverse and transgender students. The data show that appropriate language use by school staff can support these students' safety and educational outcomes.

However, the data also suggest that such training needs to be multi-levelled to privilege first and foremost students' need for diverse choices in inclusion options. This may involve, depending on individuals' needs, negotiating or making available many choices in facility use options and uniform options for example. There was a lack of structural support and inclusion in sexuality and puberty education in most transgender and gender diverse students' experiences, and other deficiencies which may perhaps be better addressed by holistically rethinking how schools operate in relation to gender diversity both structurally and in the curriculum. Schooling often operates on a model of traditional gender segregation and norm enforcement, and there are many opportunities in educational contexts for integration and flexibility (including activism) that are worth exploring.

Our research has also revealed that while most constructions of transgender and gender diverse students in research to date focus on victimisation (Jones ), it is also possible to reframe such students as often empowered individuals who advocate on their own (and others') behalf, in ways that promote their own well-being but also fulfil a complex sense of social duty. More research could usefully be conducted using this premise, building practical ways to promote transgender and gender diverse inclusion in sexuality and puberty education. In addition, survey data show that questioning one's gender identity can be a complex process that does not necessarily have a clear-cut ending; participants repeatedly identified their explorations as ongoing. Together, these data illustrate the need for schools, community and health service providers to supply ongoing support for transgender and gender diverse young people over time. Because of this, longitudinal interventions and studies of schooling supports at various ages could potentially be useful.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Funding

This research was funded by a beyondblue National Research Priorities Grant (2012 round).

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School experiences of transgender and gender diverse students in Australia

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Abstract Over the last decade, there has been an increase in global and local policy protections on the basis of gender identity and expression in education and a recent spate of coverage of transgender students on Australian television and news media.

# data[].attributes.headline
What to do if you've experienced discrimination.

# data[].attributes.subject
What to do if you've experienced discrimination.

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By Minus 18

This article is one of the many resources provided by Minus 18, a youth-led organisation supporting same-sex attracted and gender-diverse young people.

This article highlights the style of resources available through Minus 18. The language is suited to young people often in vulnerable states, providing support through easy-to-read messaging and access to information.

Minus 18 run regular events, publish regular articles, and regularly advocate for same-sex attracted and gender-diverse young people. Minus 18 also run workshops for young people and for those who work with young people on best practice for supporting same-sex attracted and gender-diverse young people.

Minus 18 is one of many non-profits that make up the HEY partners, receiving grants under the scheme. The HEY Project (Healthy Equal Youth Project) fund and promote local projects around Victoria improving the lives of LGBTI+ and young Victorians.

HEY project partners offer training and workshops for young people and those who work with young people, resources, legal advice and links to other mental health and support services for LGBTI+ young people and are often localised to geographic areas.

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Homophobia, transphobia and culture: Deconstructing heteronormativity in English primary schools.

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Homophobia, transphobia and culture: Deconstructing heteronormativity in English primary schools.

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By DePalma, R., & Jennett, M. (2010)

This article looks at trends in schools that impact a teachers ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment.

With evidence from a UK study, this article shines light on restrictions felt by teachers, including social norms, current trends, and curriculum standards.

Most importantly, this article breaks down heteronormativity to be understood as both a product of homophobia and transphobia, and an instigator of homophobia and transphobia - and that reshaping a new norm is essential in eradicating homophobia and transphobia and creating supportive learning environments for all students.