...if transgender teachers are treated so badly.
An NPR Ed survey discloses that more than half of transgender and gender nonconforming teachers have been harassed or discriminated against in the workplace.
As a retired teacher this distresses me no end. I taught for 39 years, albeit at the college/university level.
The survey of 79 trans and gender-nonconforming teachers from the U.S. and Canada found that the harassment they face ranges widely: from 20 percent who reported verbal harassment, to 17 percent who said they'd been asked to change how the present themselves, such as their clothing, to two teachers who said they'd been fired.
I was horribly harassed by a coworker and very little was done about it. The focus was on making [the harasser] more comfortable.
--Lauren Heckathorne, Evanston, IL
These findings come from our online survey, and follow-up interviews by phone and in person with two dozen of the 79 teachers who responded.
- 56 percent reported some form of workplace discrimination or harassment. Primarily this came from the administration or colleagues, not from students.
- 62 percent said they have tried to integrate LGBT-related topics into their teaching.
- 71 percent said they were out about their identities at work.
- Our respondents skewed young; 38 percent are under 30. And many are fairly new to teaching: 37 percent have been at it less than five years.
- 73 percent teach in public schools, meaning more are in private schools compared with the general population of teachers. Just one teacher reported teaching in a parochial school.
- 56 percent teach high school — a much higher number than the general population of teachers.
- Our respondents came from 17 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada. Small towns and big cities were represented, but New York City led the list with 13 respondents.
- Only 11 out of 69 who answered a question about their gender identity, or 15 percent of respondents, said that they were female, femme or a woman (see below for a discussion of this terminology). This is interesting in light of the fact that teaching, especially in lower grades, is one of the most gender-segregated professions in the United States — overwhelmingly, teaching jobs are held by women.
- More than half, 53 percent, used a word related to "male" to describe their gender identity.
- 21 percent did not use a word related to one gender — for example, transgender, nonbinary, gender queer, gender fluid.
- Forty percent of the teachers told us their students were more accepting of them than were the adults at school.
Despite the challenges they face, a majority of these teachers also said they have tried to integrate LGBT-related topics into their teaching. Many also mentioned advising LGBT awareness groups for students, training peers or addressing the topic in venues such as school assemblies.
And, they told us, they see schools as crucial spaces not only of learning, but of safety, for the next generation.
I don't think I've ever seen a supportive parent for my LGBT kids.
--Chris Smith, NYC
Considering the high rates of bullying, homelessness and even suicide among LGBT youth, these teachers say their work can be a matter of life and death.
The administration initially pushed back on the idea of my coming out, but, eventually I did come out to students and it had a very positive impact on the community. We had several students open up about their orientation and one student come out as genderqueer. I was glad to have made those students feel safe enough to share.
--Sam Long, Denver
I am often subject to verbal abuse in the hallways and have been prevented from accessing the teacher's lounge by colleagues. The ... administration transferred me to a conservative area and gave me increasingly more difficult student populations to work with in hopes that I would resign my position. When that failed, they began misgendering me in front of others and disciplining me for correcting them.
--Jennifer Eller, Maryland
Before I taught in Washington State I experienced disrespect and discrimination from colleagues, administrators, and parents during five years teaching in Texas and North Carolina.
--McKinley Morrison, Olympia, WA
I did not take part in the survey, but can attest to the harsh treatment which can be visited upon someone who dares to come out at an education facility. I began transition in Conway Arkansas in 1992 at the age of 44.