Genderism

This ground-breaking text profiles a college§population often misunderstood: Transgender students.§Using a broad range of self-identifying terms,§"transsexual," "tranny boy," "genderqueer," "male to§something else," "two spirit," "third gender" and§"still defining," this study's participants gave§voice to a definition and characteristics of§genderism. They described a campus dictated by a§binary gender system with four components: a social§labeling process used to categorize all individuals§into rigid male or female identities; accountability§for conforming to binary gender norms with requisite§rewards and punishments; privileging of§non-transgender persons; and invisibility, isolation§and inaccessibility of transgender identities. For§university faculty, administrators and students, this§unique work provides both a theoretical foundation§for understanding systemic oppression related to§transgender identities as well as a blue print for§campus change. This study was recognized with a GLBT§Knowledge Community Research Award from the National§Association of Student Personnel Administrators and§Scholar-Activist Award from the American Educational§Research Association.