Trigger Warning: The following text mentions biological essentialism and Eugenics – both of which are sensitive topics to many people. These topics are being examined here due to their impacts on social norms and dominant narratives surrounding gender and heteronormativity.
People are assigned a sex at birth based on a medical professional’s inspection of their anatomy, and along with a designation of ‘biological’ sex comes socially constructed and assigned notions of gender. Dominant narratives surrounding gender are based on a rigid binary system of male vs. female and many people hold the notion that this is a fundamental, immutable, ‘biological’ truth. However, this version of ‘science’ and biological essentialism stems from the corrupt ‘science’ of Eugenics (Fausto-Sterling, 2020; Ordover, 2003; Stern, 2015). Eugenicists have used the concept of biology to justify racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, etc. beliefs which uphold white supremacy and establish white, able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual men as the biological ideal while actively oppressing any ‘others’ that threatened this social superiority (Fausto-Sterling, 1992, 2020).
Dominant narratives claiming biology as the ultimate determiner of a person’s sex / gender are rooted in Eugenics and exclude the wealth of scientific knowledge that exists surrounding the fluidity of sex and sexuality in the natural world. Nature is queer, and humans are part of that! Unfortunately, there are many people, educators included, who use the concept of biology to negate the existence and validity of non-conforming identities.
Educators wanting to be allies in action must listen for harmful rhetoric surrounding gender / sex / sexuality / biological essentialism (etc.) and interrupt it immediately. We live in a diverse world and that diversity is present in every school population. Educators who are dedicated to being culturally responsive and LGBTQ+ inclusive will need to disrupt not only harmful language, but also heteronormative discourses that further marginalize the LGBTQ+ community.
Disrupting heteronormativity and creating inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ students and staff includes not assuming people’s identities. Offering ways for people to share their names and pronouns upon meeting, and adhering to the requested names and pronouns is an important practice in inclusive environments. Pronouns like ze / hir / she / they / he / theirs / hers / his – and any other pronouns – or none – are all valid! If a student doesn’t share a pronoun, then use the student’s name instead. And yes, literacy enthusiasts, they / them can be correctly used to refer to a singular person! This is not a new phenomenon in the English language! An example: Someone left their umbrella; I wonder if they will come back to get it?
Another inclusive practice is using gender neutral language. For example, instead of saying ‘boys and girls’, or ‘ladies and gentlemen’, try ‘folks, everyone, y’all, people’, etc. Want to learn more about gender neutral language and talking to your class about pronouns? Check out these helpful resources from GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) and the University of Arizona.
Fausto-Sterling, A. (1992). Building Two-Way Streets: The Case of Feminism and Science. NWSA Journal, 4(3), 336–349. https://doi.org/https://www.jstor.org/stable/4316219
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. (2020) “Science Won’t Settle Trans Rights.” Opinion. Boston Review. 12 Feb. 2020.
Ordover, N. (2003). American eugenics: Race, queer anatomy, and the science of nationalism. University of Minnesota Press.
Stern, A. (2015). Eugenic nation: Faults and frontiers of better breeding in modern America. University of California Press.
Gay-Ok 