“It was Just One Less Thing that I Had to Worry about”: Positive Experiences of Schooling for Gender Diverse and Transgender Students

While a range of studies have explored the difficulties and negative experiences that transgender and gender diverse young people face at school, there has so far been a dearth of research that investigates their positive experiences. Through interviews with three transgender youth, this study explores transgender and gender diverse students' positive experiences of schooling. Positive experiences centering around "significant people," "relationships and dialogue" and "groups and materials" were found to contribute to a safer and more supportive learning environment for each participant. While it is a small-scale study, the findings are hoped to provide educators with examples of positive teaching practices that they can draw from to support transgender and gender diverse students within their own classrooms.