Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

Women's and Gender Studies

Advisor

Sherry Deckman

Subject Categories

Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Educational Sociology | Education Policy | Gender and Sexuality | Gender Equity in Education | History of Gender | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies

Keywords

LGBT, Lancaster County, transgender, trans, discourse analysis, LGBTQ

Abstract

In recent years, high schools across the country have seen the concern around transgender students using gendered facilities, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, come to the forefront. Often, dissenters raise worries of privacy and of “catering to a minority,” no matter what decision is reached. At Garden Spot High School in New Holland, Pennsylvania, the site of this research, one such concern has led to a district-wide decision to eliminate gendered facilities and move to single-use facilities, in the name of preserving student privacy. Through the examination of historical precedent and discourse analysis, this paper examines how transgender surveillance serves as a source of anxiety for transgender students and for the cisgender members of society around them as these debates are taken up. By positioning trans students as suspicious and in need of hyper-regulation, undue surveillance disrupts any chance of privacy for all students.

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