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Authenticity vs Reality: Non-binary and Gender Non-conforming Graduate Students

Collin Hill

Higher Education Student Affairs Program, Western Carolina University

HESA 607: Professionalism in Higher Education

Dr. April Perry

November 17, 2021

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Authenticity vs Reality: Non-binary and Gender Non-conforming Graduate Students

According to the Council of Graduate School Reports, approximately 1,737,532 students

were enrolled in graduate studies in 2020 (CGS, 2020). It took me less than five minutes to find

this readily available data positioned neatly in a report for easy digestion. Hours of searching

later, I still have not found even an estimate of the number of non-binary or gender non-

conforming (NBGNC) students enrolled in graduate studies. Do these students just not exist

within our institutions?

In order to even get a seat at the table, people have to believe that you exist. When it

comes to gender non-conforming people, we are still at square one – still having to argue

that we are real. What’s never questioned here is, whose standards of authenticity are we

being held up to in the first place? (Vaid-Menon, 2020, p. 37)

The answer to the previous question is obvious, of course we have non-binary students at our

institutions, but how are we, as student affairs practitioners, making room for those voices? How

do we support NBGNC students if our binary systems do not allow them to be their authentic

selves? From the small amount of research available on trans and gender non-conforming

students in colleges and universities, even less is dedicated to experiences of graduate students

who assert NBGNC identities. In the following article I give a brief introduction to graduate

student experiences, NBGNC identities on campus, considerations, and recommendations for

best supporting these students.

Graduate Students

Students engaged in Master’s and Doctoral programs are uniquely situated on their

campuses; they are not quite a “professional,” but they also move beyond the role of “student”

(Grady et al., 2013). Navigating transitions, intersecting roles, and social pressures put graduate
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students in vulnerable positions with minimal resources available to mitigate these stressors

(Tompkins et al., 2016). Graduate students are often assumed to have the skills needed to

navigate institutional systems, and receive less orientation than their undergraduate counterparts

(Lightman, 2015). Most college and university services, especially for trans and non-binary

students, are aimed at undergraduate students, leaving graduate students unsure of what spaces

on campus are meant for them (Beemyn, 2019). While graduate students continue to experience

increasing levels anxiety and exhaustion, these are experienced in disproportionate amounts by

marginalized and underserved populations (CGS, 2020).

NBGNC Identities on Campus

Out of 208 trans and non-binary students interviewed by Beemyn (2019), only one

participant said their higher education institution was doing enough to support them. As higher

education tends to reflect larger society, these institutions reinforce the gender binary through

gendered bathrooms, locker rooms, housing assignments, and institutional forms such as

applications (Ashton, 2019). Non-binary and/or gender non-conforming individuals, by

definition, “do not identify exclusively with maleness or femaleness and may identify as both

genders, a third gender, or outside of the gender binary” (Goldberg, 2019, p. 135). Those with

NBGNC identities face unique challenges from the ignorance of society, and therefore the

campus community, about non-binary genders and the pressure to conform to either masculinity

or femininity with little room for fluidity (Niccolazo, 2017). Non-binary students are less likely

to come out before college, receive a positive reaction from their support system, or find

representation on campus (Beemyn, 2019).

Considerations

NBGNC graduate students’ academic and professional careers center around forming
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relationships with faculty and peers, yet there are many barriers to building this social capital.

Faculty Relationships

Graduate students depend heavily on their faculty for personal and professional

development including mentoring, networking, recommendations, obtaining funding, and

publishing (Noy & Ray, 2012). These relationships are crucial for students to feel satisfied not

only with their academic pursuits, but also feel a sense of belongingness (Tompkins et al., 2016).

Without the social support or sense of affirmation from faculty, non-binary students may feel as

if they are unable to present as their authentic selves. In a study conducted by Goldberg et al.

(2018), non-binary graduate students were less likely to wear clothes that matched their gender

identity in settings like their classes and jobs than in social settings. One student in this study

stated they hid their gender identity from their professor by “leaning more cisgender on campus”

out of fear they would not receive a good letter of recommendation if they presented in a way

that did not reflect their sex assigned at birth (Goldberg et al., 2018, p.44). When it comes to

performing gender and disclosing a non-cisgender identity to faculty, NBGNC graduate students

face dissonance between the desire to present authentically, and a need to present in a way which

is deemed socially and professionally acceptable among campus communities.

Peer Relationships

With smaller classroom sizes, implementation of cohort models, and the creation of co-

learning, peer relationships contribute greatly to the experience of graduate students. When asked

how trans-affirming graduate students felt about their peers, only 12% stated their fellow

graduate students were “very affirming” of their trans binary or non-binary identities (Goldberg,

2019). NBGNC graduate students may feel an additional burden of educating their peers about

their gender identity, resulting in increasing exhaustion and anxiety (Ashton, 2019). As
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evidenced by Goldberg’s (2019) study, NBGNC students are more likely to be misgendered or

called by the wrong pronouns by peers than binary trans students. These frequent, small acts of

misgendering can lead to distress, impacting NBGNC students’ mental health, sense of

belonging, and academic performance (Beemyn, 2019).

Implications

I posed a question previously that I will reiterate: how do we support NBGNC graduate

students if our binary systems do not allow them to be their authentic selves? “To understand and

begin dismantling systemic inequalities, whether rooted in race, ethnicity, gender, or identity, our

universities will need to prepare educators who can deepen our understanding of the mechanisms

that reproduce disadvantage and exclusion across generations” (CGS, 2020, p. 35). As

institutions of learning, our colleges and universities have an obligation to educate, support, and

break down barriers to NBGNC graduate students’ success. First, and most obviously, we have

to let our students tell us their gender identities. If we only give the option of “male” and

“female,” we are limiting the opportunity for students to report their authentic gender. However,

it is not enough to just collect this data, but instead using increasing numbers of NBGNC

graduate and undergraduate students on campus as further justification for fully staffed and

funded gender and sexuality resource centers. It is through these centers that increased trainings

about NBGNC identities and pronoun usage can be provided to campus members. Faculty,

advisors, and peers should consider their bias around gender identity and question why things

like professional dress have binary implications. Additionally, faculty should have frequent

check ins with their graduate students to ask if they are receiving the support they need, giving

room for NBGNC individuals to provide feedback.

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Conclusion

There is a significant need for more data to be collected about the experiences of non-

binary and gender non-conforming students on college and university campuses, especially those

enrolled in graduate studies. As NBGNC individuals fight for a seat at the table, our institutions

have an obligation to educate, support, and most importantly, make space for the voices fighting

for a right to exist on their campuses.

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References

Beemyn, G., & Ashton, K. (2019) How I see me, how you see me: Trans college students

navigating gender outside of the binary. In Trans people in higher education (pp. 91-115).

chapter, State university of New York Press.

Beemyn, G. (2019). Get over the binary: The experiences of nonbinary trans college students. In

Trans people in higher education (pp. 159-185). chapter, State University of New York

Press.

Beemyn, G., & Goldberg, A. E. (2019). Higher educational experiences of trans binary and

nonbinary graduate students. In Trans people in higher education (pp. 135–157). chapter,

State University of New York Press.

Council of Graduate Schools. (2021). Supporting graduate student mental health and well-being:

Evidence-informed recommendations for the Graduate Community. Retrieved November

11, 2021 from https://cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_JED_EXECUTIVE%20

SUMMARY.pdf

Goldberg, A. E., Kuvalanka, K., & dickey, lore. (2019). Transgender graduate students’

experiences in higher education: A mixed-methods exploratory study. Journal of Diversity

in Higher Education, 12(1), 38–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000074

Grady, R. K., La Touche, R., Oslawski-Lopez, J., Powers, A., & Simacek, K. (2013). Betwixt

and between. Teaching Sociology, 42(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055x13502182

Lightman, H. (2015). From infancy to adolescence: Seven lessons for creating a sustainable

graduate student orientation program. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 54(3), 12-15.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/refuseserq.54.3.12
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Nicolazzo, Z. (2017). Trans* in college: Transgender students' strategies for navigating campus

life and the institutional politics of inclusion. Stylus Publishing.

Noy, S., & Ray, R. (2012). Graduate students' perceptions of their advisors: Is there systematic

disadvantage in mentorship? The Journal of Higher Education, 83(6), 876–914.

https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2012.0036

Tompkins, K. A., Brecht, K., Tucker, B., Neander, L. L., & Swift, J. K. (2016). Who matters

most? the contribution of faculty, student-peers, and outside support in predicting graduate

student satisfaction. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 10(2), 102–108.

https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000115

Vaid-Menon, A. (2020). Beyond the gender binary. Penguin Young Readers Group.