Open Up: A Study of the Experiences of Transgender Students in a Conservative Religious School Setting

Abstract

Transgender students are being misgendered or misunderstood in school daily, making them feel unaccepted. This study discloses the struggles they experience in a conservative and religious institution. Researchers intend to promote equality, not superiority. They are promoting a pleasant place for learning where all feel safe and secure. This matter might not be relatable to everyone. Still, it is an essential matter that all should be aware of to avoid making prejudiced judgments towards each other, and all of us may discover ourselves in our best states in life. Researchers selected six transgender students aged 14 to 16 from private Catholic schools in Metro Manila. For this qualitative research, an interview guide was utilized. Personal experiences and aspects were included in the research as the primary instrument for data collection reasons exclusively. The everyday struggles faced are dissatisfaction with how respondents are treated by classmates and teachers, uneasiness during religious subjects, and a tendency to concealment with the majority, only revealed to other members of the LGBTQIA+ community. They are misnamed and misgendered, which escalates their gender dysphoria. Other individuals reported feeling accepted and welcomed by a few peers. Students were functioning better than they used to since they’d become accustomed to hiding themselves in their conservative backgrounds. Researchers could not uncover related research precisely connected to this topic as it has been scarcely discussed. Triangulation is recommended for future studies to extract additional data from several perspectives. The study’s implications for future practices and regulations include the passage of the SOGIE bill.