Spilling the T : an exploration of trans* student experiences in the Republic of Ireland

French, Fiona and French, Fiona (2025) Spilling the T : an exploration of trans* student experiences in the Republic of Ireland. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Many transgender and gender-diverse individuals worldwide must negotiate their personhoods in societal and structural landscapes that often respond with invalidation, or worse, hostility and violence. Furthermore, transness is widely politicised through arguments based on religious beliefs and/or the essentialism of biology in defining gender. The associated rhetoric is used for fearmongering to regulate and control bodies. This rhetoric has material impacts on the physical and psychological safety of transgender individuals. This qualitative study is the first of its kind to provide depth and nuance to the lived experience of transgender and gender-diverse university students in the Republic of Ireland, a country which permits self-identification of gender. To explore these student experiences, 16 participants who self-identified as having a trans* identity were interviewed. The findings are considered through the lens of the critical trans framework for education (Kean, 2021). The findings indicate that, despite pockets of progress, institutional and cultural genderism are embedded in campuses in numerous ways, revealing a disconnect between policy and lived reality. Thus, university norms need to be critically reimagined to challenge cisnormativity and create inclusive environments where trans* students are liberated. Key practical recommendations from this research include enhancements to student records options, for staff to undergo training in responding to and supporting trans* students, for trans* identities to be made visible in curricula, and for campuses to have suitable provision of gender-neutral facilities. This study provides the data and evidence needed to advocate for and implement such changes in institutional culture and practice. By creating genuine inclusion, acceptance and understanding, Irish universities have the power to help normalise trans* identities in the state and beyond. This is crucial at a time when anti-trans* rhetoric and ‘gender critical ideology’ have the potential to take hold in Ireland and its academic institutions. trans* = umbrella term for a wide range of gender identities.