“Being ok is not enough for me, my life needs to be spectacular”: Trans-friendly? A comparative study of inclusive institutional policies for transgender people in Scottish and Brazilian universities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate inclusion policies through a comparative study of transgender students at two universities, the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, and a Brazilian Higher Education Institution in the city of Porto Alegre. It aims to ascertain whether transgender students feel included or not within the framework of the policies of those higher education institutions. Since the author is an international trans student from Brazil, this dissertation takes a Feminist Standpoint approach to connect authors from Global North and Global South. These authors range from post-modern queer and trans theorists to materialists. For this dissertation, an on-line questionnaire was applied using a Snowball Sample Method, followed by semi-structured interviews carried out via Zoom with some students from both locations. There was a total of 9 participants from Brazil and 9 from Glasgow University. Afterwards, 3 students from Brazil and 2 from Glasgow University were interviewed. The coding of the results was carried out through a thematic analysis that revealed in the end three main themes. Several similarities and differences were observed regarding these themes, including toilet use, an issue only mentioned by Brazilian students; power relationships, which were similar among trans students from both universities; and "passing" as a means of mitigating transphobia. Overall, due to the small sample of this study, it cannot be considered as a reflection of the entire experience trans students face in their respective higher education institutions. As a result, the level of inclusiveness perception varies. The students at the University of Glasgow asked for more concrete actions, more representativeness, and the improvement of existing policies. On the other hand, the Brazilian students feel less included and ask for more inclusion regarding their university’s policies, stating that what has already been implemented, such as using their social name or the preferential placement system in some post-graduate courses, is not enough anymore.