Policy versus practice: Barriers to inclusion for trans and gender diverse students in UK higher education

Current literature suggests that there is a disconnect between UK higher education transgender inclusion policies and the lived experience of trans and gender diverse (TGD) students. This paper aims to understand the barriers and challenges TGD students face, the impact of university trans inclusion policy, and the factors that mitigate barriers. Using a mixed-methods approach and taking Gender Minority Stress as a theoretical framework, we found that barriers identified in other studies persist: administrative name changes, misgendering and microaggressions, lack of gender-neutral facilities, and societal barriers such as inadequate healthcare and financial cost of transition. These are compounded by the experience of multiple marginalisations. University policy appears to have little impact on the experiences of TGD students, although allyship emerged as a key resilience factor that merits further research. Trans inclusion practices and policies appear to be leaving behind this vulnerable group, requiring active and meaningful change.