Egale Explains: School Pronoun Policies

The recent polices (Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Alberta) mandating that parents and guardians must be notified and give consent when a student requests that their chosen names and pronouns be used at school puts youth at significant risk of “irreparable harm” (And a court in Saskatchewan agrees)

These policies leave youth with a lose-lose situation; either be outed to their unsupportive parents by their teachers, or be misgendered and misnamed daily at school.

Here are some statistics that paint a clearer picture:

12% of trans youth aged 14-18 who participated in the Canadian Trans Youth Health Survey rarely or never feel safe at home.

80% of trans students in Egale’s Still in Every Class in Every School study who were prevented from using their chosen name and pronouns agreed that “I don’t like being at school” and 77% agreed that “It is hard for me to feel accepted at my school”.

When we talk about the dangers of forced outing at home, we are not talking about the many young 2SLGBTQI people with supportive, loving families. Young people with supportive families come out to their parents when they are ready. For the youth who already do not have the support they need at home, the support they access at school is crucial to their development.

Other research has found that use of chosen names at school for trans youth is associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms and increased self-esteem, and that having supportive teachers is itself associated with school connectedness as well as better attendance at school.

Being misgendered consistently at school does not lend well to school connectedness which is a key factor in youth’s mental health and levels of academic achievement.

Ultimately, these policies place further impact and increase the risk of poor mental health and academic achievement on the youth who are already affected by unsupportive family environments.