You are a high school teacher at a progressive private school in a predominately white suburb of New York. At school, your gender expression is male, but when you go home your gender expression is neither male nor female. You prefer to fluctuate between genders, living a plurality of expressions. Although you have worked at this school for six years, you have not come out as transgender to your colleagues because you are afraid of loosing your job, research grants, and status as a well-respected author and academic. You know that there are no laws explicitly protecting trans people against discrimination. Because of the lack of legal protection, You feel as if you have to live a double life.
Part of the reason why you haven't come out to colleagues and students is because you are worried that they will question the validity of your gender expression, like Jamison Green when he writes, "Throughout my childhood and young adulthood I --my identity-- was, for the most part, invisible. I was always defined by others, categorized by my lack of femininity, or by my female body, or by the disquieting combination of both... many gendered and heterosexist social constructs collapse like cardboard see-walls against the ocean of my transsexual reality"(1)
Recently, a challenging situation as arisen in your classroom: Robert Klopotek is a seventeen-year-old Native American student in your class. He is a member of the Seneca Nation, and he has spent most of his life on a reservation. Robert transferred to a school off the reservation in hopes of receiving a better education and increasing his chances of attending college. Although Robert is one of the smartest students in your class, his transition between reservation culture and public school life has not been easy. He is the only Native American student in the school. Because they so rarely hear of or see Native Americans, most of the white students assume he is Latino, but the Latino students know he is not “one of them.” Robert’s experience of moving between cultures is most similar to Eric Gansworth, who writes:
"I am what you might call ethnically ambiguous in appearance. Over the years the odd looks, vague frowns, and unasked questions have become the routine...braidless and hairy, I am not legitimate enough for my ID. This officer, I see, stares at me, is certain my name is Pedro, Hector, Jesus…” (2)
In order to pass as a "real" Native American, Robert has grown out his hair, which he wears in a thick braid that falls well past his shoulders. Many of the male students have begun to tease Robert about his long hair, “you look like a girl! What are you, a f**?”
What should you do in this situation?
[[Urge Robert to cut his hair. After all, if he really wants to make friends he will need to “man up” and fit in with the other boys. |Page 1]]
[[Ignore the situation. Kids will be kids. Robert doesn’t seem that upset by the teasing and you are sure that the other kids will soon get bored.|Page 2]]
[[Ask Robert to meet with you during lunch or after class. Ask him about his long hair.|Page 3]]
Robert seems to be more upset by your advice than the teasing itself. Robert tells you how alone he feels and how no one at this school understands his culture.
How do you respond?
[[ I'm sorry that you are having such a tough time, but life is hard for everyone. I don't fit in at this school either, but you don't see me mopping about it because that's not how real men act. Maybe this school just isn't a good fit for you. |page 9]]
[[ Can you tell me why your long hair is such an important cultural sentiment? |page 10]]
This response fails to grasp the extent of the situation. Bullying is a form of socialization meant to persuade the victim to be more like the norms of society. Children’s teasing often reflects the system of oppressive norms that they were raised in. For example, Robert is being teased because he doesn’t fit into the mold of typical masculinity. The teasing is not likely to stop unless you interrupt the situation or Robert conforms to the norms of masculinity. (5)
In fact, the teasing soon becomes violent and the school administration steps in. They want Robert to cut his hair because it is “distracting other students” and against the school’s uniform policy.
How should you proceed now that the situation has escalated
and school admins are involved?
[[ Ignore the entire situation. You don't want any negative attention in your direction. You just want to keep your head down and don't want to cause trouble because you fear that your trans status will somehow be revealed | page 14]]
[[ Ask to speak with Robert and his parents. You know that they all White board of administration will probably speak down to Robert and his parents since they are colored and poor, so you want to offer them advice. | page 15]]
Robert is relieved that you have asked to talk with him after class. He has felt so lonely and isolated. No one understands his culture or why long hair is so important to him.
Under the Dawes Act, his ancestors were forced to cut their hair and abandon certain aspects of their culture; Robert’s long hair is a political statement and a testament to the resiliency of his culture and spirituality. He wishes that his peers understood all of this.(4)
What do you say to Robert?
[[You are just going through teenage angst. Stop being so stubborn. The problems will go away if you cut your hair. |page 4]]
[[I’m sorry that you are having such a tough time, but life is hard for everyone. Maybe this school just isn’t a good fit for you. |page 5]]
[[Thanks for opening up to me. I know that took courage. I do not know about the Dawes Act. I am going to look it up this weekend so I can learn about your culture! |page 6]]
Refusing to listen to Robert and telling him that he is "just going through teenage angst is an adultist response to the real problems he is facing. Adultism is the oppression of young people by adults and elders. It occurs when negative stereotypes and misinformation about young people impact their ability to exercise power, be listened to or acknowledged, and make decisions for themselves. (6)
Although Robert is only seventeen years old, he is showing maturity and strength by explaining how his long hair is a political statement driven by the historical and present mistreatment of Native Americans.
What can you do instead of dismissing his refusal to cut is long hair as an act of teenage rebellion?
[[I do not know about the Dawes Act. I am going to look it up this weekend so I can learn about your culture! |page 6]]
This response fails to grasp the gravity of situation and the oppressions at play. Robert is being oppressed by racism, sexism, and religious oppression.
Your students don't seem to understand that Robert's long hair is an integral part of his culture. Although your students think his long hair is feminine and a sign of weakness, long hair actually denotes masculinity in Native American culture. For Robert, long hair is a way to be a "real" Native American.
What can you do to help your students understand Roberts culture, and how they are reinforcing oppressive gender stereotypes?
[[Nothing. That is not a part of my job description or our school curriculum. This school is very traditional, and I don't want to get in trouble for teaching the students about gender roles.|page 7]]
[[Research Native American culture over the weekend. Teach the students about Robert's culture. Also incorporate a lesson on how gender roles are culturally relevant - thus, socially constructed. |page 6]]
Over the weekend you research Native American history and culture. You taught yourself about how the Dawes Act removed Native American children from their reservations and placed them in boarding schools, where they were forced to cut their hair abandon their native language. You are very moved by the new history you have learned. You now understand why Robert’s traditional braid is so important to him and his culture.(5)
What do you do with all of the vibrant history you have learned?
[[ Keep it to yourself. You are in the middle of another unit, so you don't want to plan a random lesson about Native American culture. |page 7]]
[[ Ask Robert to give a presentation to the class. He inspired you, so maybe he can inspire the other students too | page 12]]
[[Hang pictures of important Native American figures in your classroom Monday morning. Talk to your students about the history of oppression that Native Americans have experienced and what long hair symbolizes to the Native American people. Ask your students to write and share reflections on how this lesson will impact their future interactions with different cultures. | page 13]]
After school the teasing becomes violent and the school administration has now become involved. They want Robert to cut his hair because it is “distracting other students" and against the school’s uniform policy.
How should you proceed now that the situation has escalated and school admins are involved?
[[ Ignore the entire situation. You don't want any negative attention in your direction. You just want to keep your head down and don't want to cause trouble because you fear that your trans status will somehow be revealed | page 14]]
[[ Ask to speak with Robert and his parents. You know that they all White board of administration will probably speak down to Robert and his parents since they are colored and poor, so you want to offer them advice. | page 15]]
Telling Robert to act like a "real man" is a form of internalized oppression. You are afraid to come out to faculty and students because they might not think your gender expression is "real" enough, and now you are projecting the same oppressive masculinity onto Robert. (3)
[[Try asking Robert about his culture and its connection to his long hair |page 10]]
Robert tells you that Under the Dawes Act, his ancestors were forced to cut their hair and abandon certain aspects of their culture; Robert’s long hair is a political statement and a testament to the resiliency of his culture and spirituality. He wishes that his peers understood all of this. (4)
What do you say to Robert?
[[You are just going through teenage angst. Stop being so stubborn. The problems will go away if you cut your hair. |page 4]]
[[Thanks for opening up to me. I know that took courage. I do not know about the Dawes Act. I am going to look it up this weekend so I can learn about your culture! |page 6]]
You ask Robert to give a presentation but he is very hesitant. He thinks the teasing will only get worse and that the students won't take his culture seriously. Robert tells you that it would be a better idea for you to teach the class about Native American culture because you have more privilege and respect as a teacher. He doesn't want to speak in front of the class, but he does give you some first-person testimonials and accounts written by Native Americans.
Do you [[give the lesson | page 13]] or [[skip it|page 7]]?
You realize that asking Robert to teach the students about his culture is a bit oppressive; as Richard Smith writes, "...there is an obligation to learn other folks' history --and to do it on one's own time, so to speak, and not expect to be spoon-fed by friends." (7)
You end up planning your own lesson, but you ask for Robert's input too. He shares some historical texts with first-person accounts from Native American peoples. These account relate the experience of being colonized and oppressed.
The students' response to the lesson about Native American history and culture is inspiring. One text in particular --“Symbolic Racism, History, and Reality,” by Kimberly Roppolo-- moves the students and helps them realize how they contribute to the oppression of Native Americans. Both you and your students learn about how Native Americans are invisiblized by our society. Kimberly articulates this fact well when she states, "Most Americans don't come into contact with Indians on a daily basis because of that very genocide, or when they do, because of the campaign of rape and encouraged miscegenation through intermarriage, they don't realize they do." (8)
Unfortunately, while you were teaching your lesson, the school administration met to discuss Robert's hair. They decided that he will be suspended, unless Robert cuts his hair. They claim it is "distracting" and "against the school's dress code."
What should you do?
[[Ask your students if they feel comfortable giving a presentation about Native American culture on your schools' morning news. This will be seen by the admins, faculty, and every student in the school. | page 22]]
[[Stay out of it. You don't want to challenge the administration because you don't want to give them any reason to dislike you. You need to retain good standing with the administration so that they will continue helping you get grant money for research. Plus, incase your status as a gender non-conforming individual is revealed, you don't need any additional reason to be fired. |page 23]]
Unfortunately, the school administration suspends Robert because he refuses to comply with the school's dress code by cutting his hair "to an appropriate length above the collar." When Robert comes back to school a few days later, he is behind in schoolwork and he seems to be very depressed.
Throughout this exercise you chose options that were complicit with and reinforcing of oppressive systems. It may be hard for you to see that Robert was being oppressed by systems of racial, religious, and sexist oppression. These systems of oppression are deeply rooted in history and have been perpetuated by the socialization cycle that renders us all complicit with societal norms.
Although Robert’s oppression had a visible and obvious manifestation –he was teased and harassed by classmates and ignored by school admins—not all oppression is visible. In fact, we are all oppressed by the same systems of oppression we have become so well adjusted to; this is because systems of oppression inhibit us from reaching the full extent of our humanity. They discourage us from expressing ourselves freely. For example, the masculine norms that drove Robert’s classmates to tease his long hair also inhibit those boys from connecting with others through vulnerability. How often have you heard the expression, “boy’s don’t cry,”? Expressions like these are rooted in oppressive societal norms. Eventually they become internalized, causing us to oppress others and ourselves.
“It takes courage to interrogate yourself. It take courage to look at the mirror and see past your reflection to who you really are when you take off the mask, when you are not performing the same old routines and social roles. It takes courage to ask—how did I become so well adjusted to injustice?” (9)
Do you feel ready to take the next step and learn more about ending oppression?
[[Yes! I want to learn how to become an ally |page 19]]
[[No thanks.|Start]]
Robert's mother is hesitant, but she eventually agrees to speak with you. The next day after class Robert approaches you. He says that his mom is a single parent and his family doesn't own a car. His mom would have to hire a babysitter and take an hour bus trip each way in order to come into school and talk with you. That is why she was so hesitant to come in. Robert suggests you come to his house and invites you over for dinner.
By three o'clock you feel suffocated and fraudulent in the ties and button downs that you wear to school. You usually rush home to enjoy the freedom of expressing your true gender. Plus, you know that your partner want to come over and make dinner with you.
How should you respond to Robert's invite?
[[Tell Robert that you don't like to work after three o'clock.| page 14]]
[[Postpone plans with your partner. See if Robert will understand and be comfortable with you coming to dinner in clothing that more accurately represents your gender and makes you feel comfortable.|page 16]]
Robert is not okay with this.
How do you respond to Robert's transphobia response?
[[Stop helping him. You were going out of your way to help him, but you don't want to devote time and energy to someone who doesn't accept you. |page 17]]
[[Continue to talk to Robert. Explain to him that you are both oppressed by the same system of gender norms |page 18]]
Unfortunately, the school administration suspends Robert because he refuses to comply with the school's dress code by cutting his hair "to an appropriate length above the collar." When Robert comes back to school a few days later, he is behind in schoolwork and he seems to be very depressed.
Throughout this exercise you remained neutral. Perhaps you felt that you shouldn't get involved in other people’s business? Perhaps you felt that interfering with the school administration would threaten your job security and privacy? Staying out of the way and out of other people’s affairs is an ideology that American individualism promotes because it maintains systems of oppression. By not acting you are actually reinforcing oppression.
Robert’s oppression had a visible and obvious manifestation –he was teased and harassed by classmates and ignored by school admins— but not all oppression is visible. In fact, we are all oppressed by the same systems of oppression we have become so well adjusted to; this is because systems of oppression inhibit us from reaching the full extent of our humanity. They discourage us from expressing ourselves freely. For example, the masculine norms that drove Robert’s classmates to tease his long hair also inhibit those boys from connecting with others through vulnerability. How often have you heard the expression, “boy’s don’t cry,”? Expressions like these are rooted in oppressive societal norms. Eventually they become internalized, causing us to oppress others and ourselves. That is why it is so important to act and refrain from remaining neutral.
This is a hard reality, but don’t stop reading! There is so much that you can do to interfere with and challenge oppressive system. Are you ready?
[[Yes! I want to learn how to become an ally |page 19]]
[[No thanks. I am not comfortable jeopardizing my privileged position as a well-respected teacher |page 20]]
You realize that Robert's negative reaction to your preferred gender expression is a form of internalized oppression that Qwo-Li Driskill describes as "[adopting] the heteropatriarchal nation-state model of the settler state." (13)
You realize that Robert has probably never met a trans person, so you explain to Robert how you are both rendered powerless and marginalized by systems of oppression.
[[You ask Robert to give a presentation to the class about his Native American history and culture. Maybe he can relate to the class how he feel restricted by traditional American ideals of manliness | page 12]]
Steps to becoming an ally:
1. Become aware of the privileges that you have and how these privileges perpetuate systems of oppression. This is one of the hardest step! It involves being completely honest with yourself in order to critically analyze how your habits, thoughts, and attitudes may exhibit internalized oppression. (7) (10)
2. Branch out! Build relationships with people who inhabit different social standpoints than you. Learn their histories and engage in critical conversations.(7)
3. Listen. Good allys don't discredit or question the validity of the experiences of others. (10)
4. Join a community of ally and practice transformation organizing. (11)
5. Practice self-love and forgiveness. Learning to hold yourself accountable is a process. (12)
I understand that you are afraid, but remember that as long as you remain neutral, you are complicate in oppressive systems.
[[ Footnotes |page 21]]
[[Start over|Start]]
Footnotes:
(1) Reading 92, RDSJ –Look! No, Don’t! The Invisibility Dilemma for Transsexual Men, p. 453
(2) Reading 17, RDSJ –Identification Pleas, p. Eric Gansworth
(3) Reading 4, RDSJ –Conceptual Frameworks, p. 31
(4) A Different Mirror, “The Indian Question” p. 223
(5) Reading 6, RDSJ – The Cycle of Socialization, p. 48
(6) Ageism and Adultism Intro, RDSJ p. 536
(7) Reading 24, RDSJ –The personal is Political, p. 136
(8) Reading 10, RDSJ –Symbolic Racism, History, and Reality, by Kimberly Roppolo p. 73
(9) Quote by Cornel West, “Hope on a Tightrope” – taken from Section 10 Intro in RDSJ p. 589
(10) Reading 130, RDSJ – What Can We Do? p. 613
(11) Reading 127, RDSJ –Reflections on Liberation, p. 595
(12) Reading 131, RDSJ – The Cycle of Liberation, p.625
(13) "The Revolution is for Everyone: Imagining an Emancipatory Future Through Queer Indigenous Critical Theory" by Qwo-Li Driskill
Great! Your students presented a very informative lesson on Native American culture, including a discussion about the political and religious importance of long hair. The school administration saw the broadcast and they want to have a meeting with you, Robert, and a few representatives from your class.
At the meeting, Robert and his peers present a very convincing argument. They claim that the school's dress code marginalizes non-Christian students. The school administration agrees to amend the dress code.
[[Should you speak up and ask them to also consider being more inclusive of students and faculty who may feel like their gender expression is restricted by the dress code? |page 24]]
[[Let the students handle the meeting. You are there for moral support. You don't feel comfortable bring up your gender expression because you feel unsupported. |page 25]]
Unfortunately, the school administration suspends Robert because he refuses to comply with the school's dress code by cutting his hair "to an appropriate length above the collar." When Robert comes back to school a few days later, he is behind in schoolwork and he seems to be very depressed.
Throughout this exercise you remained neutral. Perhaps you felt that you shouldn't get involved in other people’s business? Perhaps you felt that interfering with the school administration would threaten your job security and privacy? Staying out of the way and out of other people’s affairs is an ideology that American individualism promotes because it maintains systems of oppression. By not acting you are actually reinforcing oppression.
Robert’s oppression had a visible and obvious manifestation –he was teased and harassed by classmates and ignored by school admins— but not all oppression is visible. In fact, we are all oppressed by the same systems of oppression we have become so well adjusted to; this is because systems of oppression inhibit us from reaching the full extent of our humanity. They discourage us from expressing ourselves freely. For example, the masculine norms that drove Robert’s classmates to tease his long hair also inhibit those boys from connecting with others through vulnerability. How often have you heard the expression, “boy’s don’t cry,”? Expressions like these are rooted in oppressive societal norms. Eventually they become internalized, causing us to oppress others and ourselves. That is why it is so important to act and refrain from remaining neutral.
This is a hard reality, but don’t stop reading! There is so much that you can do to interfere with and challenge oppressive system. Are you ready?
[[Yes! I want to learn how to become an ally |page 19]]
[[No thanks. I am not comfortable jeapordizing my privileged position as a well-respected teacher |page 20]]
You tell the school administration that you feel confined by the school's faculty dress code because it does not enable individuals to express their preferred gender. You also wonder if there are students who feel like their gender expression is restricted by the dress code. Female students have to wear skirts, while male students can only wear pants. Male and female teachers are expected to wear "gender appropriate clothing," meaning the clothing they wear is supposed to reflect their biological sex.
But you argue that this incorrectly assumes that biological sex and gender expression are synonymous. "Shouldn't we all be able to wear whatever makes us feel comfortable?"
To your surprise Robert joins the conversation. He says that the teasing he experienced due to his long hair was not solely a manifestation of cultural incompetence or religious oppression; It was also due to normalized gender roles, which dictate what it means to be a "real" man or woman. He was teased for having long hair because "real" men don't have long hair. According to the gender binary, long hair is reserved for women. Robert says that just like he should be allow to freely express his religion and culture, every person should be allow to express their gender however they wish.
[[The school administration agrees to amend the dress code and get rid of the rules that inhibited freedom of gender expression. They also agree to incorporate discussions of transgender oppression, sexism, racism, and religious oppression into the school-wide curriculum.| page 26]]
I understand that you are afraid, but remember that as long as you remain neutral, you are complicit in oppressive systems. There may be other faculty or students who feel just as confined as you do. If you voice your concerns to the school administration, you will be liberating yourself and others.
What do you want to do?
[[Speak up and ask them to also consider being more inclusive of students and faculty who may feel like their gender expression is restricted by the dress code? |page 24]]
[[I still don't feel comfortable challenging the oppression that I face. |page 27]]
Throughout this exercise you remained neutral. Perhaps you felt that you shouldn't get involved in other people’s business? Perhaps you felt that interfering with the school administration would threaten your job security and privacy? Staying out of the way and out of other people’s affairs is an ideology that American individualism promotes because it maintains systems of oppression. By not acting you are actually reinforcing oppression.
Robert’s oppression had a visible and obvious manifestation –he was teased and harassed by classmates and ignored by school admins— but not all oppression is visible. In fact, we are all oppressed by the same systems of oppression we have become so well adjusted to; this is because systems of oppression inhibit us from reaching the full extent of our humanity. They discourage us from expressing ourselves freely. For example, the masculine norms that drove Robert’s classmates to tease his long hair also inhibit those boys from connecting with others through vulnerability. How often have you heard the expression, “boy’s don’t cry,”? Expressions like these are rooted in oppressive societal norms. Eventually they become internalized, causing us to oppress others and ourselves. That is why it is so important to act and refrain from remaining neutral.
This is a hard reality, but don’t stop reading! There is so much that you can do to interfere with and challenge oppressive system. Are you ready?
[[Yes! I want to learn how to become an ally |page 19]]
[[No thanks. I am not comfortable jeopardizing my privileged position as a well-respected teacher |Start]]
Great Job! You became an ally, a person who fights oppression and supports those who suffer from oppression. You not only helped liberate others --like Robert, his classmates, and the school administration-- you also helped liberate yourself!
We are all oppressed by the same systems of oppression we have become so well adjusted to; this is because systems of oppression inhibit us from reaching the full extent of our humanity. They discourage us from expressing ourselves freely. You realized this hard truth and challenged the systems of oppression that were inhibiting the collective flourishing of your school's community.
The masculine norms that drove Robert’s classmates to tease his long hair also inhibit those boys from connecting with others through vulnerability. How often have you heard the expression, “boy’s don’t cry,”? Expressions like these are rooted in oppressive societal norms. Eventually they become internalized, causing us to oppress others and ourselves. That is why it is so great that you challenged the systems of racial, religious, and sexist oppression that were harming Robert.
[[Footnotes |page 21]]