Supporting Students' Intersecting Identities

When Quinn arrived at school one morning, she was sent to the office by security for violating the dress code, causing her to miss school breakfast and arrive late to her math class. The girls behind her, also wearing short skirts, were not disciplined. Quinn's grandmother had just gotten her granddaughter new clothes to affirm her gender identity. Quinn (a pseudonym) was my student at the time, a 15-year-old black transgender girl who one day hoped to work for NASA.

Like her classmates, Quinn navigated a variety of challenges when she walked through the doors of her school: peer pressure, academic demands, and the overall stress associated with the teenage years. That's a lot for a young person to handle, but Quinn also faced significant additional barriers to her emotional, social, and academic success. Unlike her white cisgender peers, Quinn's identity put her at risk for bullying, verbal harassment, physical violence, and disproportionate discipline. Quinn had plans for the future, just like other high schoolers, but lacking support and respect for her intersecting identities, she was not sure if going to college was realistic.