In examining this awful wave of anti-trans bills targeting youth (often in schools), I want to also highlight an important part of the context: the harsh conditions facing trans educators. a thread1/:

About 5 years ago, I founded an organization called the Trans Educators Network that was intended as a mutual aid group for trans teachers & other educators to connect and support one another. 2/

I had hoped that the group could also be a place to talk about pedagogical philosophy and design. But when the group got running and started growing (now at 700+ members across North America), it became clear that many members were struggling to get or keep jobs in schools. 3/

Many people could not even get in the door. This was particularly true for trans women and/or trans people of color. The same pattern exists in teacher education. 4/

What this means is that there are very few trans adults working in schools or training teachers. So, trans youth (or any youth!) do not have the support of trans adults at school. 5/

Given that schools are the institution shaping the vast majority of young people’s lives, and that trans adults have barriers to entering that space, transness (usually embodied by trans kids) in schools is under the near-total purview of adults with little knowledge of it. 6/

What does this mean? For one, there are often very few places where trans adults and kids can connect with each other. 7/

For another, it means that the school generally only accepts transness when it must, or when it benefits them in some icky neoliberal way. The school rarely allows for the trans adult, who may be more likely to challenge them. 8/

What can you do? Yo start, if you’re a teacher who’s not trans, support trans competent hiring and retention. Work with your union to demand trans-competent health care. Be bold and vocal in your support for trans educators. 9/

If you are a trans educator, check out the Trans Educators Network & set up a mutual aid group in your area. It’s a great way to connect and support each other in finding and keeping jobs. There is strength in numbers and relationships. 10/ http://www.transeducators.com 

Ultimately, this is a structural problem that trans educators can’t and shouldn’t have to solve alone. But in working together, we can build collective power and imagine the future we want. 11/11

You can also see the key demands put forward by the TEN Core Collective here: 12/ https://www.transeducators.com/guiding-principles