Gender Diversity in Early Years: A Critical Summary
Growing up, there was never really any discussion of gender. There were boys in class, and there were girls like me in the class. You could tell who was who from the outside: boys had short hair and girls had long hair; boys where strong and stinky, and girls were pretty and smelled like roses. But how could we tell who was who on the inside? How would I have known that Tatiana from grade four would grow up and configure that they did not like this typical mold that girls were supposed to fit into; she felt she identified differently. How would any individual grow up being told who they were when really that’s not who they are at all? Sure you can choose what your favourite color is, or what career path you want to take when you grow older—that’s all normalized—but why can’t we decide who we want to be—who we really are. This paper focuses on three articles dissecting gender diversity in early years: Welcoming gender diversity in the early years: Interpreting professional guiding documents for gender-expansive practice; Early adolescent gender diversity and mental health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study; and Complicating What We Know: Focusing on Educators’ Processes of Becoming Gender and Sexual Diversity Inclusive.
It is “legally required [that early childhood educators (ECEs)] provide an environment . . . that is free from discrimination [in regard to] gender identity and gender expression” (Timmons and Airton, 2020). This means that it is illegal to let any oppression, negative remark(s) towards the marginalized group or individual, or any form of discrimination pass by in a classroom or centre—yet there are gender discriminations and biases in classrooms everyday. Timmons and Airton refer to the Ontario Human Rights Commission when defining gender identity and gender expression: Gender identity is how one “internal[ly] and individual[ly] experience[s] . . . gender” whereas gender expression is how one “publicly presents their gender” (2020). They go on to describe the depths of discrimination and how it can be “‘direct and intentional’ . . . but it may also be ‘subtle or covert”’ (Timmons and Airton, 2020). Discrimination can also be split into two subcategories: interpersonal and institutional. “Interpersonal gender expression discrimination” can look like “a child [receiving] differential treatment on the basis of gender non-conforming clothing” for example, and “If intentional, a child could be explicitly told or shown by an ECE that how they are expressing gender is wrong” (Timmons and Airton, 2020). If we include gender-identity affirmation in the classrooms, we can “[remove] structures or routines that involve the ‘gender-based’ division of children” (Timmons and Airton, 2020). This can look like respecting any “gendered information” that a child feels the need to share with you as a teacher like a “name, pronoun or term” that they would like others to refer to them as (Timmons and Airton, 2020). “Research has [also] shown that gender-identity affirmation within and outside of the family is associated with better mental health outcomes” (Timmons and Airton, 2020). Children around the age of five can also start to “embrace or reject rigid gender expectations” which we must, again, be open to to promote gender-identity affirmation in the classroom (Timmons and Airton, 2020). This embracement or rejection can look like girl really wanting to go play football with the boys outside instead of playing dolls with the girls inside. This can also look like a boy wanting to play with trucks and playing soccer outside —both quite gendered yet appropriate examples in this case. Primarily, this looks like an individual accepting and enjoying the stereotyped activities for their gender, or it can look like completely wanting to deter from those norms and finding something that falls outside the lines of “acceptable” for the individuals gendered activities—both in which are completely fine as long as the individuals isn’t pressured or persuaded, but is rather comfortable and content with what they are doing.
ECEs play a huge role when it comes to encouraging a “gender-expansive early years practice” (Timmons and Airton, 2020). Teachers can be guided in regard to the curriculum using the ELECT document; we can also have a guide in regard to pedagogy using the HDLH document (Timmons and Airton, 2020). These two documents give us a guide and support us in enabling our students in a gender-expressive environment where they can be encouraged to be whoever they want to be comfortably which is not only a law but a right, truly. As educators, we can “educate parents and caregivers about childhood gender diversity. . . . [we] can also support relationships by encouraging family members to follow a child’s lead” so that they can naturally follow their own path in discovering who they are (Timmons and Airton, 2020). We “should emphasize to parents their unique power to support positive outcomes for their children” and help them realize that their child is so capable . . . they don’t need to be a setback for their child out of everything in this world (Timmons and Airton, 2020). Educators can also use “guiding questions” (Timmons and Airton, 2020) and critique themselves, their classroom, and their lessons to ensure that it is all welcoming, inclusive, and expressive for all students. We can also question and critique ideas in front of our children like “‘Hmm. It does not say that [X] is a [boy]. I wonder why we are thinking that”’ (Timmons and Airton, 2020). This will ensure that students can start thinking about the gendered stenotypes and norms and even begin to start challenging them at a young age. Overall, we need to “recognize [that] gender creativity . . . [is] a form of deep creativity” and that there is support and guidance for teachers in the “profession’s key guiding documents for a gender-expansive early years practice,” we just need to implement it on a personal and critical level.
The next article, Early adolescent gender diversity and mental health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, delves deep into the connection between mental health and transgender individuals. There was a study that conducted research on this connection, and the results concluded “early adolescents identifying as transgender reported increased mental health symptoms” (Potter et al. 2020). The study found “Transgender adults and adolescents experience striking rates of suicide [and] self-harm” (Potter et al. 2020). Something that is slightly offset from the first article, is that gender is “defined as . . . attitudes, feelings, and behaviors” yet it is recognized that gender is “multi-dimensional” (Potter et al. 2020). There is also a lack of gender research in youth as they’re still learning and discovering identity, and their vocabulary and understanding may not be as advanced as presumed. There is also a “presumption that most [cisgender] youth lack detectable and/or meaningful gender diversity [which] has likely contributed to” this limited documented information (Potter et al. 2020). Shocking evidence and statistics arose in this article such as “19.6% of transgender participants indicated that they had experienced recurrent thoughts of death and 17.9% endorsed nonsuicidal self-harm” (Potter et al. 2020). The importance of educating and advocating for gender diversity is underrated. Many “transgender youth report[ed]” that they have home and school issues as well as suicidal and self-harm thoughts “compared to the rest of the sample” (Potter et al. 2020). As educators, it is important that we teach our students what gender diversity is as well as incorporate it into the classroom: “39.5% of youth reported not understanding the term ‘transgender’ at age 9/10” (Potter et al. 2020). It was also found that “transgender youth at . . . [ages 9-11] had significantly elevated rates of recurrent thoughts of death and self-injurious behavior” which was an unfortunate common finding (Potter et al. 2020). Overall, gender is constructed though socialization (Potter et al. 2020). As educators, we must flip the narrative at a young age so that the constructed perceptions and beliefs of gender are diverse, inclusive, and expressive.
The third and final article, Complicating What We Know: Focusing on Educators’ Processes of Becoming Gender and Sexual Diversity Inclusive, focuses on the teacher-perspective of gender and sexual diversity in classrooms and the norms that we are to challenge. The article temporally outlines the analysis of two teachers, Gabby and Ryane, and their growth with gender and sexual diversity (GSD) in the classroom. Often educators recognize the need for change in the classroom in regard to inclusivity, and feel the pull to do something about it . . . yet they don’t know what to do or how to do it. It can be uncomfortable and scary as an educator to have to interrupt and challenge these societal norms. Teachers may feel “agitation and excitement,” as well as “fear and uncertainty” which is all apart of the process of moving towards a GSD-inclusive environment (Staley and Leonardi, 2018). The article moves into how it can be difficult to move into GSD-inclusive education for several reasonings. For starters, educators may have their own “negative attitudes and beliefs about LGBTQ people and their own identities and experiences in school” (Staley and Leonardi, 2018). Although we may deny our prejudices, they are always there. It’s not about what we think, it’s about how we act on it and what we do to aim towards a growth mindset. Educators may also struggle to move towards GSD-inclusive education as they may not have the resources or support they need. Staley and Leonardi mention a multitude of occurrences where teachers, colleagues, administrators, managers, and everyone involved needs to be included in meetings and types of conversations where they can grow and expand their knowledge together aiming towards an inclusive GSD environment for not only the students, but the educators as well. Staff may struggle towards a GSD-inclusive atmosphere due to their queer identity as well—just like Ryane and her queer identify, she didn’t want to “make [the students] transgender” (Staley and Leonardi, 2018). The article suggests, however, that we bring materials into the classroom that, as mentioned earlier, encourages critical thinking from the students and allows them to question and challenge the societal norms. It is not so much what you teach to your students (curriculum), but how you teach your students (pedagogy). This can look like having those “organic moments” (Staley and Leonardi, 2018) in the classroom where educators can share their personal experiences and where they come from with students to get them critically thinking. Educators can work towards GSD-inclusive education by inviting parents to the schools and introducing the school as GSD-inclusive and a diversity-supportive school overall where all students should feel comfortable as who they are and expressing that to others as well. We can also “Become a visible ally” by hanging a pride flag in the classroom, or introducing your pronouns to the class (Staley and Leonardi, 2018). Educators can also use inclusive language such as friends, “scientists,” “readers,” or grade twos, for example, instead of “boys and girls” or ladies and gentleman to avoid any misgendering (Staley and Leonardi, 2018). Overall, we can take those raw moments of vulnerability and humility as a teacher, and even as a class because at the end of the day we are all growing and learning and that’s the best that we can be.
Looking at the three of these articles, we can see how gender and sexual diversity inclusive is vital in classrooms. Each and every student should feel the love and support not only in a school setting, but in society as a whole for their well-being. We can accept what gender-expansive information that our students come to us with, we can encourage our students and work with them to challenge societal norms around gendered ideologies, and we can be and advocate, ally, and a friend for those who are marginalized around us—you never know what someone is going though on the inside.
Works Cited
Potter, A. et al. (2020). Early adolescent gender diversity and mental health in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. University of Regina Library Authentication. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://acamh-onlinelibrary-wiley-com.libproxy.uregina.ca/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.13248
Staley, S., & Leonardi, B. (2018). Complicating What We Know: Focusing on Educators’ Processes of Becoming Gender and Sexual Diversity Inclusive. University of Regina Library Authentication. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www-tandfonline-com.libproxy.uregina.ca/doi/full/10.1080/00405841.2018.1536916
Timmons, K., & Airton, L. (2020). Welcoming gender diversity in the early years: Interpreting professional guiding documents for gender-expansive practice. University of Regina Library Authentication. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://journals-sagepub-com.libproxy.uregina.ca/doi/10.1177/1463949120978526