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Transgender Oppression Curriculum Design Sample

CHASE CATALANO,

LINDA MCCARTHY,

DAVEY SHLASKO *

To our knowledge, this is one of the first curriculum designs for teaching about transgender oppression to be published. Therefore, we have designed this chapter with the aim of providing a broad, basic framework for understanding transgender oppression.

What is Transgender?

We use transgender to refer to individuals who transgress the gender norms of the dominant culture and/or their specific culture, in ways that significantly impact their everyday life and/or are central to their understanding of themselves. For example, people who describe themselves as transsexual, transgender, genderqueer, gender nonconforming, gender-variant, cross-dressing, tomboy, butch, femme, drag king, and drag queen might all fit under the broad rubric of transgender (definitions of specific identities may be found in Appendix 10A). Yet, it is important to distinguish between transgender as a descriptive term and transgender as an identity. Many people who fit into our broad definition of transgender may not claim a transgender identity. We affirm the right of all individuals to describe and label their own gender identities in whatever ways feel most appropriate to them. At the same time, in this chapter we employ transgender descriptively to include all people who fit this definition, whether or not they might call themselves transgender.

* We ask that those who cite this work always acknowledge by name all of the authors listed rather than either only citing the first author or using “et al.” to indicate coauthors. All collaborated on the conceptualization, development, and writing of this chapter.

Although transgender identity is often included with gay and lesbian identity in the familiar acronym GLBT, transgender, unlike gay, lesbian, or bisexual, is not a sexual orientation. Transgender experiences are unique and distinct from the experiences of nontransgender gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. As indicated in Griffin’s overview of the sexism, heterosexism, and transgender chapters, gender and sexual orientation are conceptually distinct, though interrelated. Some transgender people may identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual; some transgender people are heterosexual; and some may find that none of these categories adequately describe their sexuality.

People often conflate transgender with intersex. Intersex refers to people who are born with bodies that are not easily classified as male or female, either from birth or as a result of hormonal changes at puberty or later. Transgender and intersex communities overlap (i.e., some transgender people are intersexed, and vice versa), but they are not the same. Likewise, the political interests of these groups intersect in some areas, and diverge in other areas. This chapter focuses on transgender oppression. To learn more about intersex issues, we refer readers to the Intersex Society of North America (1993–2005; www.isna.org ).

Our Perspective on Transgender Identity

Among transgender communities and theorists, there are myriad ways of understanding the relationship of gender identity to the physical body, and of gender transition to physical procedures. As authors, we share similar understandings on many of these issues, yet we approach them from different perspectives. We are a female-bodied woman, a transgender man (female to male, or FtM), and a transgender/genderqueer person (female-bodied). Our work on transgender issues has included basic transgender education, transgender community building and political organizing, and health education and advocacy. In this chapter, our different perspectives inform and balance each other as we strive to create a basic introduction to transgender issues and transgender oppression.

Despite our different identities and backgrounds, we agree that gender is socially constructed rather than essential. In taking a social constructionist approach, we take issue with the medical model, which has been the primary framework for making sense of sex transition for over 50 years. The medical model frames transsexuality as a disease, with the cure being physical transition from one sex to another, via sexual reassignment surgery. It defines a dichotomous approach to sex transition, and relies on a gender binary. From our perspective, pathologizing transsexuality and transgender expression is problematic, not only in its maintenance of the gender binary but also because any “medical condition” will require “treatment” and, ultimately, a “cure.” People find many ways to be and identify as transgender, some drawing upon medical approaches to gender transition, and others finding alternative ways to enact gender transgression.

Our work and perspective are informed by queer theorists such as Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Judith Halberstam. In particular, Foucault (1995) and Butler (1990) assert that gender is a social construction, rooted in culture rather than biology. Halberstam (1998) advances these concepts in Female Masculinity, which explores the dynamics of sexuality, masculinity, masculine women, and transgender identity. The work of these and other postmodern academics extends discussions of sex and gender beyond the realm of biology, medicine, and psychology. Taking the theory out of the abstract, transgender theorists such as Aaron (Holly) Devor (1989), Jason Cromwell (1999), and Pat Califia (1997) offer a merging of theory and lived experience.

Our perspective is also informed by the more accessible and equally valuable innovative work we call pop queer theory, which includes the writing of transgender activists such as Kate Bornstein (1994), Riki Wilchins (1997), Patrick Califia (1997), Leslie Feinberg (1997), and Ki Namaste (2000). The writings anthologized in Genderqueer: Voices From Beyond the Binary (Nestle, Howell, & Wilchins, 2004) also provide a contemporary approach to gender identity, and present a diverse range of voices from within gender-transgressing communities. Additionally, the emergence of transgender narratives that diverge from the medical model gives new voice to the experiences and lives transgender people. For example, transgender-identified scholars such as Jamison Green (2004) and Dhillon Khosla (2006) have depicted their experiences with sex transition, but have also complicated and challenged the idea of a binary transition from one sex to another. Given that the majority of transgender writing has been by white people, we look forward to reading more work by transgender people of color.

What is Transgender Oppression?

Transgender oppression is the oppression of people whose gender expression, gender identity, and/or sex identity does not match the expectations of the dominant norm of society. Transphobia is a fear or hatred of atypical gender expression or identity, or of people embodying or expressing an atypical gender identity. Those who are targeted by transgender oppression and transphobia include people whose gender transgression is conscious or unconscious, deliberate or not deliberate, and/or intentionally political or apolitical in intent. They include people who identify with terms such as transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, and the others listed above, as well as others who do not identify with any of those terms, but whose gender expression nevertheless transgresses gender norms. Someone need not be connected with a transgender community or movement in order to experience transgender oppression. In fact, one need not even necessarily appear to transgress gender at any given moment. For example, some transsexuals who present as the gender they identify with (rather than the sex they were assigned at birth) may not appear to transgress gender at all. The fact that many transsexuals need to conceal their pasts in order to be accepted as the sex and gender they are is itself a manifestation of transgender oppression.

Transgender people and those who transgress gender norms face oppression and transphobia on the individual, cultural, and institutional levels. Like any form of oppression, transgender oppression works in conjunction with other manifestations of oppression such as racism, ableism, and classism. Whether people are reinforcing gender norms through everyday words or actions or through more overt policing behaviors such as harassment or violence, transgender oppression is experienced in many contexts. On an institutional level, transgender people may face job discrimination in hiring and promotion, have little or no protection from being fired, and can, in most places, legally be evicted from public housing or denied services because of their transgender status or gender nonconformity. Cultural images of people who transgress gender norms are rarely positive and affirming. Perhaps most damaging, on an individual level, some transgender people may feel as though they must hide their gender identity. For those whose gender identity is visibly out of the norm, negotiating and managing other people’s assumptions, interpretations, and questions about their gender are parts of daily life. Many transgender people experience violence and harassment, and may lack institutional protection and support from law enforcement and the legal system. (The film The Brandon Teena Story [Muska and Olafsdóttir, 1998] presents a compelling illustration.)

Enforced gender roles are limiting and sometimes harmful, not only to transgender people but to everybody. Gender roles (or rules) instruct us as to how we should look and act, form our expectations for relationships and career possibilities, and even influence how we are supposed to think and what we are supposed to be good at. Men and women who transgress gender even slightly may experience disapproval and other social consequences as a result, regardless of their relative positions in a system of sexism. Yet just as we use sexism to talk about the specific ways in which women are targeted and men are privileged by a system of oppression, transgender oppression refers to the system that targets transgender people (in the broad sense defined above) and privileges those whose gender identity and expression generally align with social norms. As with all forms of oppression, those who are privileged may not feel advantaged. Indeed, they may feel limited by gender norms and resent the pressures to conform. Nevertheless, the oppression experienced by transgender people is different from the constrictions and privileges faced by nontransgender men and women within the context of a patriarchal society.

Historical Context

Perspectives on gender transgressions have varied throughout history. In recent U.S. history, the prevailing view has progressed from an essentialist viewpoint that individualized and pathologized gender nonconforming people to one that conceptualizes gender as a social construct that dictates gender roles, presentation, identity, and sexual orientation.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, gender transgression was viewed through a moral lens, congruent with the dominance of religiosity at that time. Corresponding with the rise in popularity of Freud, psychoanalytical and psychological interpretations of gender identity gained prominence in the early to middle part of the 20th century. Biological theories that centralized physiological conditions as causative grew popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Both psychological and physiological theories have remained prevalent in the medical and psychiatric fields.

The clinical view employed by the medical model depends on physiological and psychodynamic explanations for gender “deviance.” Perceiving atypical gender behavior, expression, or identity as a “condition” invokes both treatment and a cure, and relies on a binary view of gender and sex. The name Harry Benjamin is synonymous with the medical model, as it was he who developed the “Standards of Care” (Benjamin, 1966/1977). For many years, Benjamin’s Standards of Care dictated the requirements necessary for a person to be considered transsexual and to qualify for medical transition, as well as the scope of therapies, treatments, and surgeries that a transition would include. Although Benjamin helped many transgender people by creating a medical and legal process whereby they could “prove” their transsexual status and gain access to medical transition care, he also imposed a definition of transsexuality and an obligatory course of medical and surgical treatment. Many therapists and medical providers still rely on the Standards of Care, though the guidelines are often adhered to less rigidly than in the past. Currently, few health insurance companies cover costs related to sex/gender transition, despite the medical model’s validation of transition as an appropriate “cure” for transsexuals. The medicalization of transgender expression, unfortunately, still results in many transgender people receiving care that is inappropriate and even abusive (see Burke, 1997). For example, Scholinski (1998) details an experience of being hospitalized for, among other things, atypical gender expression.

A profound paradigm shift occurred in the 1990s—in the expression, acceptance, and acknowledgment of transgender identity on the social, interpersonal, and individual levels (see Bockting, 1997). Some call the 1990s the decade of emergence of the role of the transgender (Bolin, 1997), and many would agree that the years 1990–2000 were pivotal for the movement. Transgender issues and identity gained mainstream exposure through popular culture in films, books, the Internet, and television. A growing social movement, increasingly distinct from the gay, lesbian, and bisexual movement, began to coalesce. Transgender communities have mobilized to create political action groups (Gender Public Advocacy Coalition , n.d.; www.genderpac.org ), have pushed for civil rights protections ( www.transgenderlaw.org ), and have instigated a growing awareness of the complexities of gender identity. More recently, mainstream films such as Boys Don’t Cry and TransAmerica have brought sympathetic support from the general public for the violence and stress that transgender people may face. As a result, a 2002 poll conducted by the Human Rights Campaign showed that 70% of those surveyed have heard the word transgender, and 61% believe that legal protections are needed to protect transgender people from discrimination.

Transgender People in Gay and Lesbian Communities and Movements

Transgender people have long been integral members of GLB communities in the United States and of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual civil rights movement. Though they were at the margins, drag queens, transvestites, and transsexuals were a part of the gay liberation movement that began in the United States in the late 1960s (Jagose, 1996). Ironically, the Stonewall riots of 1969, which are widely viewed as the event that launched the gay rights movement, were instigated by drag queens and other gender transgressors, alongside gays and lesbians. Communities such as those described in Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community (Kennedy & Davis, 1994); Stone Butch Blues: A Novel (Feinberg, 1993); and Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America (Newton, 1972) articulate the complex interconnections between sexual orientation and gender identities, and demonstrate the importance of community among gender transgressors.

The relationship between transgender-identified people and gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in the movement was sometimes difficult. The visibility of transgender people within the movement worried some gays and lesbians, who feared that including transgender people and their concerns would make it more difficult to acquire acceptance and support for gays from the heterosexual majority. This conflict has continued and is evident in decisions to set aside the concerns of transgender people in order to pursue civil rights for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.

The publication of Janice Raymond’s (1979) The Transsexual Empire represented one stream of second wave feminism’s response to transsexualism—that transsexuality reflects and perpetuates our culture’s strict adherence to gender roles and that transsexual women cannot also be feminists. An important outcome of the second wave of feminism in the 1970s was the creation of women-only spaces. With the emergence of the transgender rights movement, tension developed between female-born women and transgender women about who is welcome in women-only space.

Contemporary Transgender Organizing

The liberation movement, in which transgender people pursue the right for everyone to express their gender as they experience it internally, strengthened significantly during the 1990s. The release of Kate Bornstein’s Gender Outlaw: Men, Women, and the Rest of Us (1994) launched the most recent wave of transgender activism as a movement of empowerment. Leslie Feinberg’s (1999) Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink and Blue put forth the proposition that “each person has the right to express their gender in any way that feels most comfortable, masculine, feminine, androgynous, bi or tri gender expression, gender fluidity, gender complexity, and gender contradiction” (p. 53). More recently, transgender communities have united around specific social change goals such as hate crime laws, nondiscrimination policies, and preventing violence against transgender people despite differences and conflicts within these communities across gender and other social identities.

Currently, people are realizing that they can explore a variety of ways of expressing their gender; through complete medical transition, through selecting certain medical procedures but rejecting others, or through altering their bodies through nonprescription hormone supplements, body modifications such as piercings and tattoos, or temporary devices like chest binders. Rather than requiring transgender people to fit themselves into a specific mold that may or may not work for them, transgender activists seek to shift the onus to society to change so that all gender identities and expressions are respected and affirmed.

Transgender Youth

Transgender youth are among the most vulnerable members of our communities. If they are not lucky enough to have the support of their family of origin, they have few places to turn. Many trans or queer youth become homeless or enter the foster care system. Navigating the network of service providers can be a formidable challenge, especially when transgender youth end up educating those who are supposed to help them.

In 2001, Human Rights Watch released a report indicating that transgender youth experienced discrimination and mistreatment in schools (Bochenek & Brown, 2001). Later, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) released findings in a report entitled “The National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth in Our Nation’s Schools” (Kosciw & Diaz, 2006). GLSEN’s report was notable for its attention to, and separation of, sexual orientation and gender expression. These recent findings reflect the fact that gender-transgressing youth are now more likely to identify openly as transgender, and at younger ages. Even so, in most studies, transgender youth are lumped in with LGB youth (or are misidentified as LGB), so there is limited empirical data to describe their experiences. However, from the statistics on LGBT youth, we can infer that transgender youth are far more likely than nontrans, heterosexual peers to be threatened with a weapon at school, experience unwanted sexual contact, have unprotected sex, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and attempt suicide (Kosciw, 2002; Massachusetts Department of Education, 2004). Service providers in cities across the United States estimate that up to 40% of homeless young people self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (Truong, 2004). Among transgender youth who are enrolled in school, almost 90% report feeling unsafe in school, more than half report being physically harassed, and 35% report being physically assaulted in school because of their gender expression (Kosciw, 2002). GLSEN’s report found that more than 60% of students frequently or often heard negative remarks about someone’s gender expression.

Transgender communities and movements have always included young people. Sylvia Rivera, one of the drag queens who led the Stonewall Riots, was herself not quite 18 years old at the time. She continued to organize and advocate for the rights of homeless queer and transgender youth, especially youth of color, until her death in 2002 (Shepard, 2004). In recent years, young people have contributed an added dimension to the transgender movement, especially in terms of activism and social change. Transgender youth inside and outside of academia are challenging and redefining gender every day, creating new terms to describe their lives faster than theorists can keep track of them. Youth provide a vital and dynamic force that pushes the boundaries not only of normative gender but also of transgender communities and movements themselves.

Because individuals are identifying as transgender at younger ages, some are transitioning or already living in their new sex while attending college. This presents new challenges to college administrators in health care, housing, and registration. For example, campus health care centers are rarely trained in, or sensitized to, the medical concerns of transgender students. Residence halls generally assign rooms based on someone’s birth sex, which presents a problem for transgender students, who may feel uncomfortable living in a building or hallway based on sex. Some colleges are addressing this by creating gender-neutral floors, or by including transgender students in special-interest floors with gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. Campus bathrooms are particularly difficult spaces for transgender students, due to their own or others’ discomfort. They face possible harassment in women’s rooms because women fear that a man is in the bathroom, and they face harassment in men’s rooms because men might perceive them as “not a man,” and therefore suspect. Lastly, students who have changed their sex, or who change their sex while at college, may need to change their name and/or sex on all college documents, and perhaps to obtain a new identity photo. Forms that restrict gender options to male or female invalidate students’ identities.

Legal Protection

Although there is no federal protection against discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression, as there is for race, religion, gender, national origin, and disability, some individual states and municipalities have taken this initiative. As of 2006, eight states (CA, IL, HI, ME, MN, NM, RI, and WA) plus the District of Columbia provide protection against discrimination for both sexual orientation and gender identity (Human Rights Campaign, 2006; www.hrc.org ). Three other states (IN, KY, PA) provide protection, but only for public employees. Further, eight states (CT, FL, IL, HI, MA, NJ, NY, VT) have interpreted existing laws to include some protection against discrimination against transgender people (Human Rights Campaign, 2006). These laws generally provide protection against discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, and the right to file a lawsuit.

Like members of other targeted groups, transgender people are at high risk for violence and harassment. In September 2005, Congress voted to add “actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability” to federal hate crimes laws. (Hate crimes laws increase penalties for violent crimes and hate speech, but do not prohibit discrimination.) As of May 2005, 10 states specifically include gender identity in hate crimes laws (Human Rights Campaign, 2006). Besides individual states, counties, cities, and transnational corporations such as Raytheon have changed their nondiscrimination policies to include gender expression. Indeed, 71 of the Fortune 500 firms include gender identity and expression in their policies (Human Rights Campaign, 2006).

Facilitation Issues

There are some considerations that need special attention when teaching about transgender oppression. For example, one issue especially important to recognize is the inherent limitation of language. Even while new terms, expressions, and identities constantly evolve, we are at the same time limited by the existing language available at this moment. Further, despite the rapid evolution of terms among transgender communities, their adoption and recognition outside those communities are much slower.

It is important to value and recognize individuals’ identities, regardless of whether or not they correspond with facilitators’ or participants’ understanding of “male,” “female,” “masculine,” “feminine,” or “transgender.” For example, an individual may identify as “masculine,” and at the same time reject the qualities we culturally associate with masculinity. Questioning how someone constructs their sense of self is disrespectful. Facilitators should provide opportunities for participants to ask questions, but not allow participants to challenge an individual’s right to self-definition. Questions about an individual’s identity should always be asked with the intent of understanding, not challenging. Respecting a transgender-identified person’s freedom to explore an identity is one way that communities can support gender freedom for all people.

As a corollary, it is vital to respect and use individuals’ preferred pronouns. Doing so demonstrates respect for the individual’s experience and sense of self. Facilitators can model this behavior by identifying themselves and their preferred pronouns at the beginning of the workshop. Facilitators can also model the respectful use of participants’ preferred names and pronouns.

Guiding Assumptions

We believe it is important to provide participants with some guiding assumptions about how the facilitators are approaching the material. We recommend relaying the following assumptions as a start.

1. Sex, gender, and sexual orientation are separate though interconnected identities.

2. The binary gender system is limiting to all people (not just transgender-identified and intersex individuals).

3. Transgender experience exists in relation to cultural constructions of gender. In other words, we cannot understand transgender without also understanding the sex/gender system.

4. Although gender is socially constructed, the experiences of it are very real.

5. Language is limiting, but we are nevertheless dependent on it.

6. Everyone is an expert on hir, his, or her own identity, and has the right to self-definition.

7. There is a diversity of transgender identities, and those identities are always evolving and changing.

8. All transgender identities are valid transgender identities. No transgender identity (e.g., transsexual, transgender, or genderqueer) is “more transgender” or more “really transgender” than other identities, and no transgender expression is “more authentic” than another. Rather, they are different ways of transgressing gender.

9. Not everyone who identifies as transgender wants or intends to transition physically to a different sex.

10. Not every transgender person is an expert on gender theory or gender oppression; not every transgender person is a gender radical or activist.

11. The problem with gender oppression is the oppression, not the transgender people.

12. There is no end to learning about transgender experiences.

Cautions about Common Forms of Resistance

There are particular reactions that commonly arise in transgender oppression courses. We articulate these below so that facilitators can consider them and be prepared to respond.

1. Disgust: Some participants may react to the idea of transgender as offensive or as a personal affront. They may express a view that transgender is grotesque or disgusting, or may reject information about bodies, sex, or other aspects of transgender experience that they see as “personal.” Establishing respectful norms and guidelines at the beginning of the course will help facilitators enforce respectful attitudes and open minds.

2. Fetishizing: Participants who fetishize transgender people may overly sexualize transgender people, ask inappropriate questions, and unduly focus on gender expression or sexuality even when it is peripheral to the topic at hand. Encourage transgender participants to set boundaries about what they are willing to discuss. Set ground rules about discussions of sexuality in the course.

3. Sensationalizing/objectifying: Because of the corporeal nature of transsexuality, some participants may objectify transgender bodies. Do not let participants treat transgender experience like a specimen under a glass. Participants can get caught up in the details of transgender experiences (which may not necessarily illustrate the experience of oppression). Draw their attention back to the topic at hand: oppression.

4. Romanticizing/pitying: Some participants may romanticize the experience of being transgender by focusing on their stereotype of transgender people as being radical, embattled, spiritual, or liberated. Most transgenderidentified people want agents of transgender oppression to recognize both the privilege that accompanies conforming to gender norms and the institutional and cultural oppression of transgender oppression, and not to feel bad for them because of their difference. Remind participants that people who experience transgender oppression are not victims, or “special,” but whole human beings. Transgender oppression is one part of their experience.

5. Dismissal/postmodern dismissal: Some participants may embrace the concept of the social construction of gender and therefore conclude that “everyone is transgender.” For example, a woman who wears baggy jeans may claim that doing so is transgressing gender and that she therefore experiences transgender oppression. Or, one might say, “If gender is a social construction, then why do you need to change your body?” These responses overapply the idea that everyone is impacted by transgender oppression, and uses queer theory and gender theory against transgender people, disregarding the difficult choices that transgender people face in trying to express a transgender identity in a social system that does not acknowledge that possibility. Remind participants that oppression is systematic and cultural, not merely individual.

Transgender Oppression Curriculum Design

Overall Goals

• To increase understanding of gender as a social construction and as learned behavior

• To explore the diversity of gender identities and expressions

• To identify ways in which transgender oppression affects people on the personal, cultural, and institutional levels

• To draw conceptual and practical connections among transgender oppression, heterosexism, and sexism, and also other forms of oppression

• To envision a world without transgender oppression and to develop skills to work for gender liberation in our personal, academic, and professional lives

Overview of Modules

Note to readers: The curriculum design in this chapter is based on the assumption that participants have completed the introductory module(s) described in Chapter 3 prior to beginning this design and have a basic understanding of the conceptual framework of oppression described in Chapter 3 . See Table 10.1 for an overview of this chapter’s modules.

Table 10.1 Overview of Modules: Transgender Oppression

Facilitation Issues

Preparing for the Seminar: Creating a Welcoming Environment

It is always important to take stock of the physical environment before a seminar begins. Specifically, when teaching about transgender oppression, make sure there is a gender-neutral restroom nearby. (Ideally, it will be a single-stall restroom with no specific gender designation.) If there are no gender-neutral restrooms in the building, look into the possibility of relabeling one for the duration of the seminar. This accomplishes two purposes. First, if you have one or more participants who are transgender or otherwise gender nonconforming, they will have the option of using a restroom where they are unlikely to experience gender harassment. Second, it models for all participants one simple way to alleviate the effects of transgender oppression.

Decorating classrooms gives the room a cozy, informal feeling and may help to put participants at ease. One possibility is to put up art pieces that celebrate transgender people. (Print, video, and internet resources are listed in Appendix 10M.) During breaks, participants can congregate around pieces that interest them and discuss issues evoked by the art and/or the seminar.

It is also helpful to bring in books, videos, and other media resources. Set them up on a table or windowsill so that they are a visible presence throughout the seminar. Like the artwork, they can serve as conversation foci for participants during breaks. They also give participants an idea of the range of resources available to them.

Module 1: Personal Gender Reflection Theme

Time needed: 2 hours, 40 minutes

Objectives

• To get to know each other

• To begin thinking about gender as something we do

• To identify and think reflectively about our own genders

• To learn how gender is socially constructed

• To explore how gender is performative

• To generate in-depth, specific discussion about one example of a learned gendered behavior

• To explore how gender oppression hurts transgender and nontransgender people

• To identify some stereotypes about gender-variant people

• To reflect on our own socialization around gender and gender variance

• To notice how socialization minimizes the amount of gender variance that is expressed

Key concepts: gender role socialization (institutional, cultural, and individual), reinforcement of norms

1. Introductions (15 minutes)

As participants arrive for the first session, have a station set up for them to create nametags. The nametags should be preformatted with a space for the person’s name and another space for the gendered pronoun they prefer to use for themselves.

Welcome participants and introduce yourselves by giving some background information about yourselves, including what motivates you to do social justice–oriented work generally, and transgender issues in particular.

Ask participants to share their names, pronouns, any other identifier that are helpful for facilitators and participants to know (e.g., class year, department, and job title), and what brings them to this class.

Facilitation Issues

If you are transgender or otherwise gender nonconforming, consider carefully whether you will want to “come out” during your own personal introduction. By disclosing your gender identity and history casually and early on, you demonstrate that a transgender identity is simply a part of who you are, and not a cause for shame or secrecy. You also save yourself and the participants the potential embarrassment of having a participant misread your gender later on. On the other hand, deliberately leaving your gender expression open to participants’ interpretation may help to make a point about the flexibility of gendered meaning, as well as to encourage participants to focus reflectively on their own gender, rather than yours, during this first module. In deciding whether and how to come out in your introduction, consider the purpose of your coming out both in terms of participants’ learning and in terms of your own comfort and needs as a facilitator.

Whether or not you are transgender, use your own personal introduction to explain how you came to be involved in education around transgender issues, and your relationship, if any, to transgender communities. If there are transgender participants, it will be important for them to get a sense of you as a knowledgeable ally, so that they can feel comfortable participating fully and revealing their identities if they choose.

During introductions, you will be asking participants to indicate which gendered pronouns they prefer to be called during the seminar. Gendered pronouns are words like he, she, him, her, his, and hers that identify a person’s gender even though gender is not necessarily central to the communication. In general, we use pronouns for people that “match” their gender identities—he, him, and his for men, and she, her and hers for women. Many transgender and other gender-nonconforming people have had the painful experience of being called a pronoun that doesn’t match their gender identity, either because people mistakenly don’t recognize their gender identity, or because people deliberately call them by the wrong pronoun. Additionally, some gender-nonconforming people use other pronouns, sometimes called third-gender or gender-neutral pronouns. There are several sets of third-gender pronouns currently in use in transgender communities. The most widely used are ze and hir, where ze sounds like “zee” and is analogous to he/she, and hir sounds like “hear” and is analogous to him/her and his/hers. Other people choose to use no pronouns at all, so when talking about such a person you would repeat that person’s name several times throughout a sentence rather than using a pronoun.

Pronoun preference is something that many transgender people have to explain about themselves often (especially if they don’t “pass” as their self-identified gender or if they use pronouns other than he or she), but most people who are not transgender have probably never been asked. We ask everyone to share their pronouns to normalize the process, and also to minimize the possibility of a participant “misgendering” another participant or the facilitator. Asking participants to explicitly state their preferred gender may trigger mild confusion and even embarrassment for some. One likely response is that participants who are not transgender may joke about it or say, “Isn’t it obvious?” By insisting that it is not obvious, facilitators can begin to help participants rethink their assumptions about the links between internal identity and external gender expression. It is also useful to point out that participants are asked to identify their preferred pronoun for that day only. They are free to change their minds about all aspects of their gender expression, including their pronoun.

2. Agenda and Goals (10 minutes)

Briefly review the agenda for this module and for the course as a whole. Present the overall goals for the course. Inform participants that they will have an opportunity to share their own personal goals for the group and for themselves.

Pass out two self-stick notes to each participant, one in each of two colors. Ask them to write a goal they have for themselves for this course (e.g., a topic they want to learn more about, a skill they want to develop, or a question they want to have answered) on the first sticky note. On the other color, ask them to write a goal they have for the group as a whole. When everyone has finished, invite them to arrange their sticky notes together under the headings “Individual Goals” and “Group Goals” on a large sheet of paper posted on the wall. After they have taken their seats, ask a volunteer to read aloud all of the goals that have been posted. Wrap up this segment by connecting the participants’ goals back to the overall goals and the agenda, and explaining how you hope to meet some of the goals throughout the course.

3. Developing Group Guidelines (15 minutes)

Ask the group to generate guidelines that will help them feel comfortable sharing and learning together. Record the guidelines on a sheet of newsprint that will remain visible throughout the course so that facilitators and participants may refer back to them as needed. Ask participants to clarify any guidelines as needed. (Refer to the introductory module in Chapter 3 for more information about specific guidelines.)

There are also some guidelines that are specifically useful when discussing issues related to transgender oppression. For example, it is important that everyone in the room make every effort to use individuals’ preferred pronouns. In addition, if there are only one or two transgender people in the room, it will be important for facilitators and participants to be aware of not pigeonholing those transgender people into the role of resident experts, and to avoid asking inappropriate personal questions. If participants do not suggest guidelines to address these issues, facilitators should add them.

4. Icebreaker: Five Things You Did This Morning (15 minutes)

Inform participants that we will be doing a short, engaging activity to get us started.

Ask each participant to write on a piece of scrap paper five things they did to gender themselves before they left the house that morning. Give them 2 or 3 minutes to complete the task. Model the activity by saying something like the following: When I got up this morning, I put on my fluffy bathroom slippers. I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror and noticed how messy I look when I first wake up. Then I took a shower and I used shampoo that is marketed to women. When I got out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist (not around my chest). I did not comb my hair because it’s so short it does not need combing. I thought about putting on some eyeliner, but decided against it. Then I put on my deodorant, which is marketed to men. All this before I even got dressed!

After participants have recorded their responses, ask them to form groups of three by joining with two other participants whom they do not know well. Ask them to introduce themselves and then share their lists. Give the groups about 5 minutes to share and discuss.

Ask for volunteers to report out any immediate thoughts or reactions in the large group.

Wrap up by pointing out that everyone carries out multiple gender-specific behaviors every day without even realizing it. These behaviors are learned (e.g., we are not born preferring men’s shampoo to women’s shampoo), and they take up a lot of our time.

At this point, participants have begun to think about the way that gender, both consciously and subconsciously, impacts their current lives. The next activity will continue their reflective thinking about how gender has previously shaped their self-understanding.

5. Early Learnings About Gender Conformity (60 minutes)

Inform participants that we are going to explore some of our early learnings about gender roles and gender conformity. Encourage them to consider gendered messages in the broadest terms. In addition to thinking about what it means to be a girl or a boy, they might reflect on messages they received about what it is to be feminine/masculine, ladylike/manly, weak/strong, and a mother/a father, as well as what it means to be well behaved, attractive, mature, or popular as a boy/girl.

Remind participants that although we all learn about gender and gender conformity as children, the specific messages that we receive will vary according to our cultural background, family situation, geographic context, and many other factors. For example, what it means to be a girl in a white, middle-class suburban family with a mom and a dad may be very different from what it means to be a girl in an African American community, or on a farm, or in a family headed by a single parent, by same-sex parents, or by more than two adults. By noticing and sharing these differences as well as experiences we may have in common, we can enrich our understanding of our own gendered experiences and of gender in general. At the same time, as we each learn about gender in our own particular contexts, we are also affected by the gender norms of the dominant culture as transmitted through media, schools, toys and games, and other people’s assumptions about us. For some of us, the messages we received about gender from the dominant culture may have seemed to contradict the messages we received at home or in our own communities.

Ask participants to pair up with someone they do not know well. Give them about 20 minutes in these pairs to discuss the following prompts. (Some participants may benefit from having a few minutes to think or write before speaking.)

1. Describe the earliest time you remember being aware of your gender.

2. Describe a time as a child when you were told (explicitly or implicitly) that you should or should not do something because of your gender.

3. Describe the first time you remember being aware that someone else was doing something that stretched the boundaries of what was acceptable for them as a boy/man or girl/woman to do. What were they doing? What did you think or feel about it? How did you and others respond?

4. Describe a time when your own understanding of your gender or of what you should do as a boy/girl was in conflict with someone else’s expectation. How did it feel to be in that situation? How do you make meaning of this situation in retrospect? Was the conflict related to other social identities such as race, class, sexual orientation, or age?

Bring participants back to the large group, and lead a discussion drawing on the conversations they had in pairs. Use these processing questions:

• What emotions came up as you identified early gendered memories?

• What came up that was new or surprising?

• Did any themes emerge within your pair?

• What did you learn from these early experiences about your own gender?

About people who did not conform to gender expectations?

• Where do these messages come from?

• How have these early experiences affected how you do gender now? Is there anything that you do or do not do, because of your gender? Is there anything that you do, or do not do, in spite of your gender?

• Think back to the icebreaker. If you had been socialized as a boy rather than a girl, or as a girl rather than a boy, what might have been different about your morning behaviors? If you think your behaviors would be the same, how would it have been easier or more difficult for you to do that as a member of “the other” gender?

The previous two activities allow all participants to reflect on gender-role socialization. The next activity helps participants further understand how we express or perform our gender through an ordinary activity for many people: walking.

6. Walk Like a Man/Walk Like a Woman (45 minutes)

Divide the participants into groups of 8 to 10. The groups should disperse to separate rooms if possible, and each group will conduct the activity with its own facilitator. Depending on the demographics, mix the groups in terms of sex and gender to allow for differing perspectives.

In each group, ask for two volunteers to walk for the class. One volunteer should be female-bodied and woman-identified, and the other should be male-bodied and man-identified. Explain that the woman is going to walk “like a man” and the man is going to walk “like a woman.” (They will walk one at a time.) The remaining participants in the group will “coach” the person walking. As coaches, they should call out instructions or suggestions to help the walkers improve their performance and be more believable in their gendered walk. For example, people might say, “Take smaller steps!” or “Hold your shoulders back more!” After about 5 minutes, or when the group is satisfied with the walker’s performance, the first volunteer can rejoin the group and help to coach the second volunteer.

After the second volunteer has finished walking, give both “walkers” the opportunity to process their experience before continuing to the discussion of the activity. Ask the walkers:

• What was that experience like?

• What did you think and feel while you were walking?

• What were your reactions to some of the suggestions about how to change your gait?

• Is there anything else you want to share with the group?

Thank the walkers for their contributions. Then, lead a 30-minute discussion of the activity based on the following prompts:

• What were some of the coaching tips that were called out? How did it feel to coach someone with those suggestions?

• Do you think the person was initially believable in their gender walk? What about by the end? In what ways did the walker significantly change their style of walking?

• What does this activity tell you about how men and women are taught to walk?

• What, if anything, is the difference between a woman learning how to walk “like a man” and a boy learning how to walk “like a man”? Or, between a man learning how to walk “like a woman” and a girl learning to walk “like a woman”?

• How did you learn to walk? Were you ever made fun of or chastised for walking the “wrong” way? What did you think and feel about it at the time? What happened? What do you think and feel about it now?

• How did you learn these messages about how men and women are “supposed to” walk?

• What does this activity tell us about gender?

If you have divided the group, save a few minutes to come back to the large group and share a little about the groups’ experiences with this activity before closing Module 1.

Facilitation Issues

For this activity, it is especially important for the facilitator to explain the entire sequence of events before beginnng. Participants may be worried about expressing or reinforcing stereotypes. Assure them that the facilitators are aware that the coaching will be based largely on stereotypes. Even though we know that not all women walk “like a woman” and not all men walk “like a man,” it is also true that many women and men do fit the norms about how men and women are “supposed to” walk. This activity will help us to investigate this particular example of a gendered behavior in order to explore how gender norms impact all of us.

If there are any transgender or gender-nonconforming participants in your group, we suggest you speak with them prior to the activity and encourage them not to volunteer, as the walker will be in the vulnerable position of having their gender performance under the direct, unapologetic scrutiny of the group. This may be a distressingly familiar dynamic for some transgender and gender-nonconforming people, and it is important to give them permission not to volunteer to subject themselves to this. Additionally, keep in mind that much of the data for the discussion of this activity come from what the coaches find themselves saying. Because many transgender people have practice at expressing gender in more than one way, they may not need much coaching, and so having a walker who already knows how to walk “like a man” or “like a woman” may lead to a less rich discussion. For the same reason, transgender people make excellent “coaches,” especially if they have had to learn a specific gendered way of walking as part of a gender transition. Explain the purpose of the activity to transgender and gender-nonconforming participants, and tell them that you value their unique perspectives as coaches for this activity.

Processing the activity allows participants the opportunity to reflect on how they have learned and express their gender. It also allows them to think about how they “coach” other people on their gender. The focus of the activities has been to allow those participants who more closely conform to gender norms to realize that they too have constructed their gender. Remember, the point of reflection is meant to raise awareness, not guilt, and to realize that we are all affected by gender stereotypes and gender expectations/assumptions. At this point, the participants should be able to move toward learning about transgender identity, language, and experience.

To accommodate those with physical disabilities, this activity may be adapted to “Sit Like a Man/Sit Like a Woman.” Just as we are taught to walk within particular gendered parameters, we are also taught to sit in particular ways, based on our assigned sex. Aside from sitting rather than walking, the activity is the same.

Module 2: Language and Transgender Experience Themes

Time needed: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Objectives

• To establish some common vocabulary with which to discuss transgender identities, experiences, and oppression

• To establish a conceptual separation among assigned sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation

• To explore and understand how transgender people define themselves and experience being in the world

• To offer a framework for understanding a broad range of gender/sexuality experiences

• To provide some historical U.S. context for discussing contemporary transgender issues

• To identify the impact of transgender oppression on the everyday lives of a diverse group of transgender people

Key concepts: definitions, historical context

1. Opening (10 minutes)

Welcome participants back to the class. Summarize activities in Module 1. Invite participants to share with the large group any new thoughts or insights they have had. Briefly review the agenda for Module 2.

2. Genderbread Cookie (30 minutes) *

Materials required:

• Genderbread cookie handouts (Appendices 10B and 10C)

• Genderbread cookie graphic on newsprint

On newsprint, prepare a “genderbread cookie” similar to the one on the handout (Appendix 10B). This will serve as a visual focus for a short lecture based on the outline below. As the lecture proceeds, you will add additional terms and information to the diagram (Appendix 10C). The four lines on the diagram represent four dimensions of sexual/gender identity: biological sex/assigned sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

For the first half of the lecture, define each of the four dimensions on the diagram, beginning at the top. For each term, explain the usual definition and how it is usually measured. Add the words for how it is usually quantified at the dots, as in Appendix 10C. Check for understanding. Note that the usual assumption is that we each fall into one column of terms or the other—either male/man/masculine/attracted to women, or female/woman/feminine/attracted to men. This represents the binary gender system. For detailed definitions and “scripts” for certain terms, use Appendix 10D.

Starting at the bottom, go back up the chart and complicate the binary gender system by noting the additional possibilities of (a) more than two categories on each dimension; (b) flexibility, or change in category over time; and (c) a person falling in different horizontal locations for different dimensions. Also note some of the ways in which the binary gender system is culturally specific. For example, some cultures understand there to be more

* The Genderbread Cookie is adapted from an activity by T.A.Hans & T.Sangrey (2001), in the Trans Activists Network Facilitators’ Guide, as self-published material. Available as pdf on www.riseconsulting.org

than two genders, some cultures do not define sexual orientation in terms of gender at all, and cultures have varying definitions of masculinity and femininity. As you move up the diagram, for each axis ask participants to help you generate terms that might belong on that axis in between (or on either side of) the two “usual” possibilities. Examples of such terms are italicized in Appendix 10D. Add these to the diagram as in Appendix 10C. If participants request it, you can ask the group to define these additional terms. However, the main point here is to put all of the terms into a context of binary and nonbinary gender. There will be an opportunity later in Module 2 to further explore the terminology.

When you have finished these explanations, you can use the genderbread cookie as a graph to chart particular individuals’ sexual/gender identities. You might chart the two facilitators as examples, and then ask for volunteers from among the participants. To chart a person, simply draw a dot (or more than one dot) on each dimension representing where that person falls on the scale. Then connect the dots.

Facilitation Issues

The genderbread cookie presents a great deal of information all at once. It also contradicts the everyday assumptions about gender that most people unconsciously accept. For both reasons, it may be cognitively and emotionally difficult for participants to absorb all of the information. Assure participants that they need not immediately understand every term or idea in this model. Part of the point of this activity is to question what we think we know about gender, and so to feel confused is normal and even encouraged. The main point is that gender is much more complicated than we usually acknowledge, and many more possibilities exist than we usually account for.

If participants get caught up in details and want a complete explanation of every term that someone offers, the genderbread activity can easily run over time. If a term is totally unfamiliar to the majority of participants, you might give a brief explanation and move on. However, do not try to define everything. Instead, reassure participants that the purpose of this activity is to get an idea of the range of possibilities of sex, gender, gender identity, gender presentation, and sexual orientation. The next activity will focus on understanding specific terms in greater depth.

In particular, the idea of intersexuality may be new for most participants, and they might be very eager to know more. Because intersex issues are not the focus of this course, present some basic information such as that provided in the genderbread cookie outline, and then refer participants to additional sources (listed in Appendix 10M).

3. Terminology (45 minutes)

Materials needed:

• A set of posters or sheets of paper, each printed with some or all of the following terms: gender, genderqueer, transgender, transsexual, biological sex, medical model, passing, masculinity and femininity, Benjamin Standards, butch, femme, sexual orientation, intersex, queer, FtM, MtF, and any other terms you want to provide (see Appendix 10A for terms)

• A set of posters or pieces of paper, each printed with the definition of one of those terms

• Markers

In preparation for this activity, post the terms (without the definitions) around the room. Organize participants into groups of three or four, and distribute the definitions among the groups. Instruct participants to match their definitions to the terms. Each group should work together to agree on where the definitions go. When they find a match, have them post the definition on the wall next to the appropriate term. Give the groups about 20 minutes to complete this task.

When all the groups are finished, bring everyone back into one large group. Have a volunteer read each term aloud along with the definition that is matched to it. Check for understanding. If there is a question or disagreement about any of the matches or the definitions themselves, put it to the group for discussion. Correct any factual misunderstandings, while keeping in mind that the language of transgender identity and experience is constantly evolving and culturally specific. There may be more than one correct definition for a given term depending on participants’ ages, geographic context, and the particular transgender communities or understandings of transgender identity they may be familiar with. Amend or elaborate on definitions as necessary.

Processing Questions

Lead a discussion using the following processing questions:

1. Are there any terms or concepts that are still unclear?

2. Are there any terms or definitions that are missing?

3. There are many terms and concepts here. How does it feel to realize that sex and gender are much more complicated that you thought?

Facilitation Issues

Depending on the knowledge level of the participants, you may wish to select fewer terms from our list, or you may wish to add your own. Because the vocabulary of transgender identities varies significantly by culture and context, it may be particularly useful to add culturally specific terms of relevance to the community in which the course is taking place. Keep blank paper on hand to put up terms that participants bring to the course.

4. History Presentation (30 minutes)

Materials needed:

• Timeline handout (Appendix 10E)

• Posted timeline (We recommend you create a large paper timeline based on the handout, and post it around the room. The visual impact of the length of transgender history, posted in the room, is much more effective than only reading the handout.)

Before this activity, post the timeline on the wall(s) in the room (based on Appendix 10E). Introduce the activity by explaining the importance of having a historical context for understanding transgender oppression. Ask the participants to form small groups and to walk their way through the timeline. Have one person in each group make notes of questions raised, suggested additions to the timeline, and common themes.

Facilitation Issues

Participants may be particularly interested to learn about notable regional history. We recommend that you identify local transgender groups and local resources available to transgender people.

Processing Questions

Have each group discuss the following questions, and then facilitate a large group discussion on their answers.

1. What are some common themes among the events listed in the timeline?

2. What events seem particularly significant or momentous?

3. In what ways do you think individual transgender people might have been affected by these events?

4. How did this information corroborate or contradict your previous knowledge of transgender history?

5. What are questions that you are left with after this activity?

The timeline presents historical information about the significance of transgender identity within U.S. culture. The following activity provides the participants a glimpse into the contemporary lives of transgender people.

5. Bringing Transgender Voices Into the Room (105 minutes)

Option A: Panel

(If convening a panel is not feasible, consider Option B presented in Appendix 10F.)

Invite a panel of transgender people and allies of the transgender community to share how they understand their own gender identity and expression, and talk about their experiences. You might locate speakers through a local LGBT speakers’ bureau or transgender organization. Remuneration is appropriate, if available.

Try to get a diverse range of experiences on the panel. For example, a panel with diversity of race, culture, class background, ability, sexual orientation, and religious background is ideal. Age is another important factor, because there have been significant generational shifts in transgender peoples’ experiences and self-understanding. It is also vital to have a wide range of gender diversity. If some of your panelists are female to male (FtM), make sure that others are male to female (MtF). If some of your panelists are undergoing medical transition, make sure to have other panelists who choose not to (or who are not able to). If some of your panelists identify as cross-dressers, make sure to invite others who identify as transsexual, transgender, or genderqueer. Consider inviting people who do not identify as transgender, but who do transgress gender norms significantly in their everyday lives. Partners, family members, and other close allies of transgender people can also make valuable contributions to such panels.

Give panelists information about the participants and the course prior to the panel. Offer guidelines ahead of time, including information about how long you want them to speak and the topics they might address. Inform them about who else will be on the panel. Ask them to focus on their personal experiences, with specific emphasis on the everyday realities of living as a transgender person (or however they identify), or as an ally. Assure panelists that they can choose what to share or not share and that their stories will be kept confidential. Plan for the panelists to speak for about 30 minutes total. Depending on the size of the panel, each panelist will have about 5 to 10 minutes.

Introducing the Panel

Greet the panelists and thank them for their participation. Explain to participants that the panelists have been asked to speak about their personal experiences. Let them know that the panelists will speak for about 30 minutes total, and then take questions for about 30 minutes. Take a moment to remind participants about the guidelines established during Module 1, especially the policy about confidentiality. Inform them that participants are welcome to ask any question, but that panelists will decide whether or not to answer.

To encourage participants to ask thoughtful questions, hand out index cards before the panel begins. Have them write down any questions that may arise during the panel. When the panelists are finished speaking, collect the index cards. Encourage participants to ask their questions verbally. If the group seems reluctant to ask questions, or if you notice that there are questions on the cards that are not being asked aloud, read aloud some of the questions from the cards. After about 30 to 45 minutes, bring the question-and-answer session to a close.

After the panel, take a break. This gives you time to thank the panelists, and offers an opportunity for participants who were too shy to ask a question in the large group to approach panelists one-on-one.

Processing

Take 30 minutes to process the panel with the participants after the panelists have left. You may choose to process in a large group or in smaller groups. If many participants seem to be having a strong emotional reaction to the panel, consider starting the discussion in small groups. If they have many factual questions, consider staying in the large group so that you can clarify any misunderstandings. If you do use small groups, be sure to bring the large group together for a few minutes at the end of the processing time. Use the following processing questions to start the conversation:

• What thoughts and feelings came up for you during the panel?

• What surprised you about the panelists’ stories? About your own reactions?

• Was there anything that the panelists said that made you uncomfortable?

• Were there any questions that you wanted to ask but didn’t? Why?

• How were the experiences the panel described similar to each other? How were they different?

• What voices or perspectives were missing from the panel? (For example, think of transition status and direction, different identities within the transgender spectrum, sexuality, age, race, ethnicity, class background and current class status, educational background, religion, ability, and so on.)

6. Closing, Feedback, and Homework (15 minutes)

Do a 5-minute closing round in which participants share their response to the following: What is one new piece of information or new idea that you learned today? What is one thing you are still thinking about?

On index cards, ask participants to write down feedback to hand in to you anonymously: What is one activity that worked well for you? Why? What is one aspect of this module that could be improved? How?

Appendix 10G lists several possible homework assignments. Select one option, or create your own. Distribute the homework assignment. Ask participants to think about their new awareness about transgender identities as they complete the homework.

Module 3: Transgender Oppression Theme

Time needed: 3 hours

Objectives

• To help participants link their observations with examples of transgender oppression

• To identify specific examples of transgender oppression

• To organize these examples into levels and types of oppression

• To identify how individuals, institutions, and cultures perpetrate forms of oppression against transgender people(s)

• To explore how gender-conforming individuals identify and acknowledge their privilege

• To describe how transgender oppression may interact with other forms of oppression in the lives of transgender or gender-conforming people

Key concepts: oppression, privilege, collusion, internalization

1. Attending Activity (10 minutes)

Choose an activity to bring the group’s attention back to the topic of transgender oppression. (See Appendix 10H for one example.)

2. Welcome, Review Agenda (10 minutes)

Welcome participants back to the class, and review the agenda for the module. Summarize the information from the feedback participants provided at the end of Module 2, and explain how you took it into account in preparing for Module 3.

3. Go Over Homework (30 minutes)

Post the homework assignment where everyone can see it. Have participants gather in groups of three to four. Explain that they will have 15 minutes to discuss their experiences of completing the homework. Urge participants to focus specifically on what actually happened and what they felt and thought at the time. Inform them that they will have an opportunity afterward to reflect on their experiences.

After 15 minutes, explain that the group will begin to make sense of their experiences in terms of three levels of transgender oppression: individual, cultural, and institutional. Distribute worksheets to each group with columns labeled “Individual,” “Cultural,” “Institutional,” and “?” (Appendix 10I). Based on what they have shared with each other about their homework, have participants fill in examples of transgender oppression for each of the three levels. In the fourth column, they can record any aspects of their experience about which they have questions.

Processing Questions

• What was challenging about this assignment?

• What information did you find that was unexpected/surprising? How so?

• Did you discuss this assignment with anyone outside of the class? If so, what was the reaction?

The participants have begun to share out their information in smaller groups, and the next activity will bring the learning to the larger group to help enhance everyone’s knowledge of transgender oppression.

4. Levels and Types of Transgender Oppression (40 minutes)

Bring participants’ attention back to the large group. Post a chart that is similar to the one in Appendix 10I. Ask for volunteers from each of the small groups from the previous activity to report out some of their examples for each level, and record those examples on the chart. Invite participants to add other examples from their homework, from previous modules, or from their own experience or imagination. For items that participants recorded in their “?” columns, ask the group to help decide how to categorize them.

Use Appendix 10J to have some examples of levels and types of transgender oppression, to help start the discussion. Depending on the knowledge base among your participants, you also may decide to distinguish between conscious and unconscious types of oppression, as well as individual, institutional, and cultural (see Chapter 3 ).

Processing Questions

1. How did it feel to organize the information into the “Types of Oppression” categories?

2. How do these forms of oppression make clear the forms of privilege that genderconforming people benefit from?

3. What are some ways in which you have been unconsciously colluding with privilege or internalized oppression based on this information?

5. Drawing Connections (50 minutes)

In groups of five or six, ask participants to discuss the connections they see among transgender oppression and other forms of oppression. If the participants have completed readings (such as books or internet resources cited in Appendix 10M), urge them to utilize the readings during this discussion, and provide them with some quotations from what they have read that may highlight interconnections. Otherwise, provide specific situations or contexts to prompt discussion. See Appendix 10K for examples of situations to provoke discussion.

Processing Questions

1. How do multiple identities impact transgender oppression?

2. What are the ways in which transgender oppression impacts other social identities?

3. What are some connections among different forms of oppression?

4. What are some distinctions among different forms of oppression?

At this point, participants have identified many ways that transgender oppression manifests itself in the lives of transgender people. The next activity will focus on the ways in which nontransgender participants collude with and receive gender privilege.

6. Some Privileges of Being Gender Conforming (30 minutes)

Based on their experiences in Modules 1–3, ask participants who identify as gender conforming to write down at least two ways in which they experience privilege because of gender identity and expression. (Possibilities for gender nonconforming participants are noted below.) Then ask gender conforming participants to gather in groups of four to share their examples and record their collective lists on newsprint. After about 15 minutes, bring participants’ attention back to the large group and have them report out their lists. Some examples of privilege are as follows:

• I can use the restroom in public spaces without fear that I will be asked if I am in the right location or responses of violence.

• I can apply for jobs without having to worry about my gender identity.

• I can adopt a child without worry that my gender identity will make me ineligible.

• I can use my driver’s license or other forms of identification because the gender listed on my license matches my current gender.

• I can feel confident that I will be addressed by my preferred pronoun by sales clerks or strangers.

• I can refer to my past without changing my pronouns.

Processing Questions

• Was it difficult to come up with privileges? Why or why not?

• What were some privileges that you had not considered as such prior to this activity?

• What were some privileges that you had realized and may have worked toward challenging?

Facilitation Issues

If you have one or more participants who are transgender, they may choose to use this time in various ways. They might want to help the gender-conforming groups come up with examples of gender privilege. Or, they might want to gather in a different space to generate their own list of privileges, or to continue processing the earlier activities. They might choose to generate a list of things they love about being transgender, which they can share with the large group.

The process of examining privilege and oppression is often difficult for participants. Participants’ feelings of guilt or denial may make it difficult for them to identify gender privilege, and it is important to remind them that awareness is the first step toward liberation. The next module will allow them to begin to take steps to change how oppression and privilege impact their lives.

7. Closing (10 minutes)

Acknowledge participants’ efforts to stay engaged through the module. Thank them for their attention, and remind them that the next module will focus on liberation/action for social change.

Ask participants to jot down their responses to the following prompts:

1. What feelings came up for you during this activity?

2. What is one idea that is sticking with you or one question you still have from this module?

3. What is one idea, thought, or hope that you want to carry with you into the last module?

After a few minutes, ask for volunteers to share their responses with the large group.

Module 4: Transgender Liberation Theme

Time needed: 3 hours, 55 minutes

Objectives

• To engage our imagination and creativity in envisioning a world without transgender oppression

• To help participants move toward liberation

• To help participants move toward taking action against transgender oppression

• To develop specific and realistic action plans for working against transgender oppression on the individual level

• To help participants focus on individual learning goals and to continue their education on transgender identity and oppression

• To help participants focus on group work that will help challenge transgender oppression

Key concepts: liberation, activism, social change, individual learning goals, collective action

1. Welcome Back, Agenda Review (10 minutes)

Welcome participants back for the last module of the course. Briefly review the agenda for Module 4.

2. Check-In (10 minutes)

Invite each participant to comment on their thoughts and feelings moving into this last module. For example, they might talk about thoughts, feelings, or questions left over from Module 3; something that came up outside of class; or what they are looking forward to in Module 4.

3. Envisioning: Free-Write (10 minutes)

Explain that we will spend time in this module thinking about our visions of a world free of transgender oppression. To start, invite participants to take 10 minutes to write a description of their ideal world without transgender oppression. Emphasize that it is okay if they do not have a clear vision. Inform participants that this writing is private; they will not be asked to share it.

4. Envisioning: Collage Activity (60 minutes)

Materials required:

• Collage materials: construction paper, scissors, glue, diverse magazines to cut up, glitter, string, markers, crayons, any other available art supplies

• Stickers

Invite participants to gather in small groups of their choosing. Give each small group a set of collage materials. Explain that each participant will make a collage individually, based on their own personal vision of a world free of transgender oppression. However, urge them to interact with each other while working on their collages, noticing the similarities and differences, and discussing any part of their visioning freewrite that they might want to share.

Because participants are often reluctant to finish their collages, give several timechecks after 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 55 minutes. Remind participants that they may continue working on their collages after they go home. It is acceptable to share a work that is still “in progress.”

5. Sharing Our Visions (30 minutes)

Have participants post their collages around the room. Make sure that every collage is labeled with a participant’s name. Provide participants with stickers (e.g., gold stars) that they may choose to affix to their collage to indicate that they are willing to answer questions from others about their collage and their vision. Give participants 30 minutes to mingle, view others’ collages, and ask willing participants questions about their vision.

Processing Questions

1. What images did you look for to create your collage?

2. What ideas did you feel were important to put on your collage?

3. What did you feel were the limitations in creating this collage?

4. What do you feel are the goals that you would like to highlight for the group?

The next activity will allow participants to write out goals that go beyond the broad notion of liberation into attainable actions that are suited to each participant’s desired outcome(s).

6. Action Planning: Individual Level (40 minutes)

Remind participants about the levels and types of transgender oppression. Inform them that this activity focuses on the individual level. Provide a worksheet (Appendix 10L – Part 1) for each participant with the following prompts:

1. What have I learned about transgender oppression during this course? (New learnings might include information, ideas, feelings, skills and behaviors.)

2. What questions do I still have about transgender oppression?

3. What specific steps can I take to continue to educate myself?

4. What, specifically, would I like to do to work against transgender oppression on an individual level?

5. What barriers (internal, external) prevent me from doing those things?

6. What can I do to overcome these barriers?

Give participants 10 minutes to fill out the worksheets individually. Then invite them to partner with someone and share their responses. Pairs can help each other develop ideas for questions 3, 4, and 6.

For the last 15 minutes, invite anyone who wishes to share their action plans (including how they will overcome any barriers).

7. Action Planning: Broader Levels (40 minutes)

In preparation for this activity, prepare a list of relevant contexts for participants (for example, “in this school,” “in my dorm,” “in my workplace,” “in this organization,” or “in my family”).

Explain that participants will gather in groups of four to think about how to address transgender oppression in a specific context. Present the list of contexts you have prepared, and invite participants to add any additional contexts. Take a quick poll by asking for a show of hands of people who would be interested in working on each context on the extended list. Then allow participants to form groups based on the context they want to discuss.

Provide a worksheet (Appendix 10L – Part 2) with the following prompts:

1. What would we like to do to work against transgender oppression on individual, cultural, and institutional levels in ___________________ (a specific context)?

2. What barriers may prevent us from achieving what we want to achieve? Consider individual barriers (e.g., individuals’ attitudes, beliefs, and skills), cultural barriers (e.g., broadly accepted stereotypes, norms about how change happens in this context), and institutional barriers (e.g., policies, power structure).

3. What specific steps can we take to overcome these barriers?

Give small groups about 20 minutes to fill in the worksheet as a group. Encourage them to be very specific. Then invite each small group to present their ideas to the large group.

Provide participants with a copy of Appendix 10M for additional print, Internet, and film resources addressing transgender oppression, for further learning.

8. Closing Activity (20 minutes)

Gather in a large circle. Encourage every participant to share a thought or feeling that they are taking with them from the course. Then, ask participants to express an appreciation of another participant or of the group as a whole. For example, people might appreciate something someone said that helped them to understand an issue better, or a risk that someone took, or a positive impact that someone had on the group’s dynamic. The facilitators should also participate in this process.

9. Feedback (15 minutes)

Collect written feedback about the course (see Appendix 9J for a model).