Conference questions gender inclusivity in higher education sector
THE national conference on trans and gender diversity inclusion in higher education took place over the weekend, coinciding with the transgender day of remembrance.
The conference emphasised the lived realities of LGBTQI+ students in higher education and was convened out of a need to foster curriculum transformation in South Africa when dealing with LGBTQI+ communities.
Highlights from the conference included discussions on mechanisms for transformation in the higher education sector, deconstructing gender, identity and expression in education and what’s in the best interest of the trans and gender-diverse child?
Khanyisile Phillips, programme director for Gender Dynamix, said: “We’re hoping to not only get the buy-in from the Department of Basic and Higher education but to draft a position statement that would hold these departments accountable for the lack of inclusive policies for trans and gender diverse students, which has a direct impact on their psychosocial and physical well-being.”
“It’s vital to have transformation in the higher education sector towards trans and gender diverse inclusivity to provide the student a chance at a fair educational experience,” said Phillips.
Professor Lionel Green Thompson, dean of the faculty of health sciences at UCT, said: “Part of the general fabric of higher education institutions is that we struggle with inclusion; I think we need to build our sensitivity to those who feel excluded.”
Green Thompson said that there is profound vulnerability in the LGBTQI+ community that is often overlooked and that those who identify as LGBTQI+ are systematically excluded by bureaucratic processes.
Dominique Alley, a student who identifies as a lesbian, said her experience has shown that there is still much work to be done in educating people about the LGBTQI+ community.