title: Gender Identity Disparities in Bathroom Safety and Wellbeing among High School Students.
abstract: By examining the relationship between trans identity, bathroom safety and wellbeing among high school students, this article empirically investigates how educational institutions operate as sites through which gender is negotiated in ways that are consequential for trans youth. We draw cross-sectional survey data, from a multi-school climate survey (n = 1046) conducted in the Midwestern United States, to examine three aspects of high school students' wellbeing: safety at school, self-esteem, and grades. The sample included students in 9th-12th grade who identified as trans (9.2%) and cisgender (41.2% boys, 49.6% girls), as well as LGBQ (21.6%) and heterosexual (78.4%). Most respondents were monoracial white (65.8%), monoracial Black (12.4%), and multiracial (14.1%). Using mediation and moderation linear regression models, we show that feeling safe using school facilities helps to explain widespread inequalities between trans and cisgender students. Based on these results, we suggest that in order to address disparities in educational outcomes between trans and cisgender students, as well as to improve student wellbeing in general, policies and practices need to ensure that all students have the right to safely access bathrooms and school facilities.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, New York, NY, 10023, USA. Lwernick@fordham.edu.
authors.forename: Laura J
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6785-4658
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wernick
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Social Sciences & Media Studies Bldg, University of California Santa Barbara, 552 University Road, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-9430, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kulick
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, New York, NY, 10023, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D012574:Schools; D012649:Self Concept; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014038:Toilet Facilities
keywords: Bathroom access; Cissexism; School climate; Students; Transgender; Wellbeing