Trans People in Higher Education

344 Pages·2019·2.102 MB·English

by  Genny Beemyn

PRAISE FOR TRANS PEOPLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
“Beemyn’s advocacy and research on trans people in higher education is
groundbreaking, and this edited volume is no exception. Through a mix of
narratives and personal accounts, as well as the findings of research studies
by major scholars in the field, the book paints a rich portrait of the variety of
trans identities and experiences on college campuses today, along with rec-
ommendations for how campuses can create a more inclusive environment.
The volume is an extraordinary resource for all who are committed to creating
campus communities that are welcoming and affirming for trans students,
faculty, and staff, and for those who simply want to learn more about the ex-
periences of trans people on college campuses today.”
— Kristin G. Esterberg, President, State University of New York at Potsdam
“For more than two decades, Genny Beemyn has been at the forefront of higher
education research and policy advocacy regarding trans issues. Beemyn has
given us yet another stellar contribution to those fields with this new anthology,
which showcases an impressive cohort of emerging voices as well as a bur-
geoning body of high-quality scholarship. It’s the best, most comprehensive
overview to date on the timely topics it addresses.”
— Susan Stryker, author of Transgender History, Revised Edition:
The Roots of Today’s Revolution
“Trans People in Higher Education combines the powerful accessibility of
compelling personal stories with the complex and often harsh findings of
qualitative and quantitative research to demonstrate the continued need for
trans-affirming campuses, from policy to classroom engagement. Despite more
than two decades of positive changes in academic institutions, trans and non-
binary students, faculty, and staff continue to struggle for acceptance and equal
access. This timely book shows that, in challenging the constricts of the binary
gender system, helping others develop skills for culturally competent interac-
tions, and expanding campus-wide policies, these individuals offer academia
the best gift of all: learning opportunities and the inspiration to do better.”
— Willy Wilkinson, author of Born on the Edge of Race and Gender:
A Voice for Cultural Competency

TRANS PEOPLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

TRANS

PEOPLE

IN HIGHER

EDUCATION
Edited by Genny Beemyn
Cover art: “Transition” by Yulonda Rios, mixed media.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2019 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without
written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in
writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Beemyn, Genny, 1966- editor.
Title: Trans people in higher education / Edited by Genny Beemyn.
Description: Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, [2019] | Includes bibli-
ographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018009226| ISBN 9781438472737 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN
9781438472744 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438472751 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Transgender people—Education (Higher)
Classification: LCC LC2574.6 .T73 2019 | DDC 378.0086/64—dc23 LC record available
at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018009226
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the younger nonbinary trans people who
helped create a world in which I could exist.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION, Genny Beemyn ix
THE VOICES OF TRANS STUDENTS, STAFF, AND FACULTY
1 Lisa N. Johnston and Caden J. Campbell 3
An Unescorted Male: Transcending Gender at a Southern
Women’s College
2 Annabelle Talia Bruno 17
Transitional Matriculation: Losing (and Finding) Yourself
in Higher Education
3 Alandis Johnson 27
Read between the Lines: Teaching and Learning while
Nonbinary Trans
4 S. Simmons 35
“I Am Because We Are”: Holding a Mirror as a Trans Educator
5 C. Ray Borck 49
“Do You Get to Choose How Big Your Penis Will Be?”:
Transitioning as Faculty
6 Kei Graves 69
Typing My Way Out of the Cisheteronormative Closet
at a Community College
7 Jackson Wright Shultz 79
On Being (In)Visible in the Academy: A Trans Scholar’s Narrative
RESEARCH ON TRANS PEOPLE AND TRANS INCLUSION ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
8 Kasey Ashton 91
How I See Me, How You See Me: Students Navigating Gender
Outside the Binary