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Ethnographic Case Study:

Education for LGBTQ+ Students

Casey Humpherys

Brigham Young University - Idaho

SPED 360: Diverse and Exceptional Students

Brother Phillip Armstrong

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Introduction - Jody

Students who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, non-binary, or other member within

the LGBTQ+ community have reached 3.2 million youth between the ages of eight and eighteen

(LGBTQ Youth). This number continues to rise, and though students may feel they receive the

same level of grit from the academic sides of education, the same is not said for social issues in

the same setting. I had the opportunity to interview an individual who is in the process of

transitioning from male to female. This individual uses she/her pronouns and, to protect the

privacy of the interviewee, we will use a pseudonym and refer to her as Jody even when

referencing her time before her transition. Having very little exposure to those who identify as

transgender, I was a little nervous going into the interview as I did not want to accidentally

offend her or come across as “bigoted” or “prude”. However, the interview turned out to be an

important relationship builder and learning opportunity as a future teacher who is most likely

going to have students in this same circumstance one day.

Jody was born and raised in a small town in southeast Nebraska called Auburn. A few

years later, Jody’s parents gave her a little sister. Her father was an active and well-known

member of the community, being one of few family doctors in the surrounding area. Her mother

owned a small, quaint paint-it-yourself pottery store for a good portion of her childhood. So,

practically everyone in this community of around 3,000 people knew any rumors or doings of

well-known families such as Jody’s. She attended Auburn Public Schools throughout her entire

academic career from kindergarten through senior year. She graduated from Auburn Senior High

School with a class of around 40 students out of the approximately 200 student body population.

Jody was very likable in school, had mostly exceptional grades, and was even voted “Most

Likely to Brighten Your Day” by her peers.

So, even with her popularity, it may surprise some that she actually felt buried in pressure

by peers and blinded in the darkness of trying to fit in. Before high school , Jody felt comfortable
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expressing artistic talents, especially with her mother owning a business that focused on

individual creativity. She was an eccentric extravert for a lot of her life. Her antics included

cross-dressing as a joke on some spirit days in elementary school and going big and “extra” on

class projects to express creativity. Unfortunately, this outgoing personality didn’t last forever.

Jody started feeling pressure to fit in towards the end of middle school. This was an age

where grades and classes started intermixing a little more, and she noticed how popular a certain

group of boys in the grade ahead of her were. They acted, spoke, and presented themselves

differently from her, yet they seemed to be thrilling, tough, and thunderous. She wanted to be on

the same level as them, she wanted to be seen as a “real man” with an abrasive outer skin, a

knack for some trouble, and not afraid to get down and dirty. Deciding to follow their example,

she abandoned her creative identity. This merging of becoming a “country boy” was molded

throughout high school, until one day she finally came to the realization that she was actually a

girl. Once the realization set in, she worked hard to regain her creativity once more, find new

friends who would support her for who she is, and leave the town she grew up in to get a fresh

start in finding her true identity and place in life. Throughout her telling me her life story in the

interview, I noticed three themes that had an impact on her identity. These recurring themes are

peer pressure, individuality, and role models.

Themes

Though peer pressure is predominantly seen as negative in the development of

adolescents, being able to learn from the consequences of peer pressure was a theme that, in the

long run, helped lead to Jody’s success in school. If you asked Jody now, she steers rather clear

from peer pressure. However, as a teenager, she stated that she “had a weird way of globing onto

others' personalities”. This made being influenced very easy for others to do to her, and she

would take traits from others and morph them into her own.
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Peer pressure mostly came from the group of boys she was striving to become. In middle

school, she started hanging out with a couple boys we will refer to as Toby and Nate. These two

boys grew up in the countryside. Their school attire consisted of cowboy boots, worn out denim

jeans, and dirt stained shirts. School and good grades were no more than an afterthought for

them. Their carefree, or perhaps careless, attitude attracted a lot of attention and was quickly

idolized by Jody. Later on in high school, another boy with this same trouble-making personality

moved into town. We will refer to him as Luke, and he became close friends with Jody as she

tried to embody this “country bad boy” aesthetic.

It wasn’t long before Jody was pressured into trying all sorts of new experiences with

Toby, Nate, and Luke. She stated that “Running around with those boys was its own lifestyle.

Looking back, I would never want my kids to do those things.” As the years of their comradery

began, Jody was introduced to all sorts of substances. Pressure from these boys and a desperation

to make her father proud of his son inspired Jody to join the middle school wrestling team.

There, her teammates introduced her to a new method of losing water weight for tournaments by

chewing tobacco. At the age of only 13, Jody was chewing and smoking. The smoking was

unintentionally enhanced by his parents, who also both smoked. Jody explained that their

example only enforced it because “every other breath I took was secondhand smoke”. This also

eventually led to underage drinking.

Jody remembers getting drunk for the first time in the basement of her own home with a

friend. She never came to school under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but that never stopped

her from partying at someone’s house or in the backwoods on the weekends. They introduced

Jody to other peers that hung around this type of crowd, and they all rooted for her to “man up”

and join in on their risky endeavors. When asked why she felt the need to participate in all their

activities, Jody stated “It was the peer pressure to keep up with them and be as country and

redneck as they were in their boyish, hooligan stuff. The more I did that, the more masculine I
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was. I didn’t want to go hunting, I was just trying to blend in.” Jody was doing it, in her eyes, she

was becoming the thrilling, tough, and thunderous boy she had imagined when first meeting her

rambunctious friends.

At the time, she truly felt this was helping in her success. Her grades weren’t totally

squandering, she had so many exciting and adventurous friends, and her parents were proud of

her success at wrestling and being, on the outside, a “good boy”. From anyone’s outside

perspective, she was living the dream of most worldly teenagers. So why did she feel so lost and

far away from herself?

This leads me to the next theme I noticed during our interview - the concept of

individuality. At a very young age, Jody had what she felt were “precursors'' to her true identity

of being female. When she would start up new video games, and the section came where you

picked your character, she always chose a female. She would play it off to herself and others as

an excuse to look at hot girls, but looking back, she just wanted to be cute and pretty like these

characters were, she felt drawn to them as women even if some of them were in simple 8-bit,

pixelated designs. There were other instances that created a feeling of “doing wrong” in the eyes

of others at school that messed with her sense of identity. There were spirit days in elementary

school that were character dress up days or cross-dressing days, and there was a secret

excitement for her to dress like a girl. All of the boys were expected to participate, and Jody was

eager to make great costumes and go all out with all her guy friends! When the day came, she

was the only boy who dressed up. None of her guy friends followed through or even came close

to what she had come up with. Though she passed it off as “a good joke”, she felt weird and

ostracized for being the only boy interested in participating.

As mentioned previously, Jody had originally felt artsy and visionary. This personality

was eventually strangled over time. Growing up, she stated “I had a dream to play the flute, but it

wasn’t the profile [for a country boy]”. Jody mentioned other hobbies she had to let go of when
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trying to build a new identity. “When I was really young, I had a thing for writing stories, a few

pages long. That kept up for a little while. I did some drawings and thought I was a good singer

but that wasn’t “masc” enough.” So, she never felt able to do the things she actually wanted to do

in high school. No creative writing classes, no drama clubs, no choir or band. She felt as though

she was in a shell of darkness. At the time, she would detach from those feelings by simply

pushing harder to mold the country boy she was trying to force out.

Though Jody was attempting to create an entire new identity and abandon her old self, the

spark of creativity could not be fully extinguished. Jody continued to “go big or go home” in her

attempts to impress her group of friends. They all had some sort of big, old Chevy or Ford to run

around in the mud. Jody managed to get a truck of her own, it was the biggest, loudest, most

country looking rusty set of wheels you could get your hands on. Everyone knew who was flying

down the street when they saw this truck and its trail of diesel. When it came to her physical

appearance, she found a sly way to compromise her desire for luscious long hair and forcing a

masculine vibe by growing a mullet. In her eyes “this mullet was a mix between a love for

feminine hair but also fitting in because what’s more redneck than a mullet?” On the outside,

everyone saw Jody as getting more and more country. On the inside, Jody was getting more and

more lost, holding on to any last thread that she could of her old self. Her schoolwork started

lacking, and she was at risk of failing a few of her classes.

Success then came through when Jody realized who she really was. After graduating high

school, she decided to attend a college roughly eight hours away from little ol’ Auburn. None of

her buddies were attending school there, she was all alone and on her own for the first time. She

was originally going to go through RHOP (Rural Health Opportunities Program) to become a

physician's assistant, a way to continue being a “good boy” for her doctor dad. However, after re-

exploring her creative side by taking a creative writing class, she spiraled into a flurry of

excitement and self expression again. It felt refreshing and, for once, it felt real. She continued
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exploring new life styles and beliefs through some psychology and philosophy classes and a bit

of recreational experimentation from her already onset habit of smoking from her old high school

days. She remembers her first realization that her individuality meant being female a few years

ago around Christmas time. She had finished up snowboarding with a friend and while resting

afterwards, was reflecting on life. She noticed how her world had completely widened and

changed since she had stopped trying to be what Auburn wanted her to be. She was independent

now, an adult. Jody explained that “now living alone I realized I had no more walls to break

down. I woke up one morning, knowing I was a girl.”

At first, she had only told one person. But even with this emerging secret and her

“reborn” identity, she finally began to flourish. She became confident enough to share with

everyone she knew who she was now. Though a little nervous at first, she began working with

her doctor to take estrogen and hormonal treatments. With her transition, she expressed that “It

was centering and anchoring in my body again. It’s been incredible to watch my body change

and recontour itself and have a good mindset again. I feel present in the world”. Jody, after years

of drowning in what she felt forced to be, could finally breathe again. No longer being afraid to

finally be herself boosted her schoolwork. She did exceptionally well in all of her fine arts and

literature classes that she, for the first time, felt comfortable and encouraged to take. This new

identity led her to chase her childhood dreams and earn her a Bachelor’s in Literature with a

Minor in Philosophy and Creative Writing with intent to work towards a Master’s degree.

Of course, this might not have happened without the support and influence of the third

theme from our interview, that is, having role models. Though Jody received a lot of pressure

from her parents, especially her father, she did have one family member that helped lay the

foundation for her to express herself. Her younger sister came out as bisexual in high school.

Jody has ever since admired her sister for such an act of bravery in such a conservative town.
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Knowing this went fairly well aided Jody when deciding to come out to others for her own

identity.

There were others who Jody looked up to as well. Something that I, as a future teacher,

hope to remember. Jody looked up to very few teachers. There was one type of teacher in high

school that she really enjoyed. To no surprise, knowing her interests now, these were the English

teachers. There were two in particular who Jody felt “were just awesome”. These teachers were

strong-willed women who were never afraid to speak their minds. They taught a subject she

secretly loved and helped her enhance those skills. They saw her as a fine student and

respectable person, even if they had known the trouble she got herself in. Their support helped

her to do well in their classes, even when she was at risk of failing others.

Jody also spoke of having a celebrity role model. This woman is who Jody looks to as her

“Mother Hen”. This term was coined by Jody to mean an individual who helps a trans person

realize themselves and “hatch” from the shell of who they were. For Jody, her “mother hen” is a

transgender actress and model named Hunter Schafer. Hunter is well known for her current role

in an extremely popular Netflix series called “Euphoria”. Hunter was amazingly beautiful,

feminime, and breathtaking. The first time Jody had watched the show, she had no inkling or

suspicion that Hunter wasn’t biologically female. Once she found out about Hunter, this

completely broke the mold of what Jody thought trans people were and has looked up to her ever

since.

However, there was one role model for Jody that stood out a bit more than the rest. While

attending college, she had a professor named Mr. Jones. He was very supportive of the work that

Jody had been turning in and was the one who encouraged her to take the creative writing class

that set off the domino effect for the rest of her academic career. He became an official mentor

for her throughout college and she came to him for advice very often. Mr. Jones was one who

always pushed others to be themselves and be whoever you want to be, something Jody had
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lacked support for her entire life. When trying to decipher her feelings about being a girl,

changing majors, and other instances that may let down friends and family, Mr. Jones told Jody

“You are not accountable for other people’s feelings”. This helped Jody to realize that “I don’t

have to be who other people want me to be. I can make them proud by being myself and be

successful without others, without conforming to tradition”.

Information about the LGBTQ+ Community

The acronym of “LGBTQ+” stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and

others such as those who are pansexual or nonbinary. The idea of this term was to be inclusive of

all sexual identities (Cherry). Those who either are unaware or are not respectful of the

community will often use negative slurs as alternatives to the proper names such as fag, homo,

tranny, and dyke. Even seemingly simple language could also have some negative connotations.

For example, some people have a hard time being referred to as homosexual. Though it is a

legitimate word from Greek roots, the American Psychological Association has explained three

reasons to use other terms than homosexual, “The word homosexual has several problems of

designation. First, it may perpetuate negative stereotypes because of its historical associations

with pathology and criminal behavior. Second, it is ambiguous in reference because it is often

assumed to refer exclusively to men and thus renders lesbians invisible. Third, it is often

unclear”(American).

In regards to cultural commonalities amongst those within this community, a large

portion of them stand within the democratic party. Further research done by Christy Mallory

from UCLA showed that out of nine million LGBTQ+ adults who registered to vote in the 2020

election, 50% were Democratic with the remaining half being split up between Independent,

Republican, other, or unknown. Other proper assumptions based on Mallory’s research suggest

that this community makes inclusion and diversity a top priority. Summarized information tells

us that LGBTQ+ voters are significantly more likely to support black, Latino, or LGBTQ+
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candidates. However, the poll also showed that these individuals also claim that a candidate’s

race and sexual orientation would not influence their vote (UCLA). Still, from all of this one can

conclude that this community tends to be progressive, free-thinking, and welcoming of those

who have otherwise been ostracized in their life.

Within a public school setting, the struggles don’t so much come from academic weight,

it comes from bullying. According to a survey done by the Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Educantion

Network, or GLSEN, 75% of transgender youth currently report feeling unsafe at school (The

Main Issue). Most of us are well aware that bullying is proven to create and worsen depression,

anxiety, and one’s ability to maintain good academic standing and activity involvement in

school. How can we help these students manage success in a seemingly hostile environment?

First and foremost, a teacher and school must be familiar with laws surrounding equal education.

In June of 2021, the U.S. Department of Education issued a “notice of interpretation” regarding

Title IX’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex (U.S Department of Education). To

simplify legal lingo, the National Center for Transgender Equality further explained this notice

saying that “Under this policy, schools are required to treat transgender students according to

their gender identity, including by making sure that transgender students have access to

restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, using the right names and pronouns

for transgender students, and letting them dress in accordance with their gender” (Trans

Equality). As schools do better to enforce this legal policy, they have more legitimate grounds

for apprehension of bullies which would hopefully decrease the negative statistics these youth

face. When we help our students see that we recognize their identity as they do and reduce the

amount of harassment, their overall wellbeing and confidence will increase and increased grades

and participation tend to correlate with that as well. This would help students such as Jody, who

felt that that public school system “certainly wasn’t a place kids could discover who they are and

be their own person”.

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Cross Cultural Connections and Recommendations

It is also important to keep in mind that an LGBTQ+ student could have specific learning

disabilities that need addressed alongside supporting the individual. A collection of national

associations in 2017 found that around 20% of LGBTQ+ students have a learning disability

(NASP). For students like Jody, there are about 2 in every 5 transgender individuals that struggle

in school (M.A.P). This makes bullying sometimes a double whammy as these students could get

bullied for both their identity and their disability.

To help these students not only make it through, but flourish in high school, schools need

to provide resources. In assisting with possible learning disabilities, teachers need to be well-

educated and trained on how to create the most effective accommodations and differentiation

based on each students’ needs. For instance, imagine a classroom that includes a student that

happens to be hard of hearing and needs to use a hearing aid. Most of the time, these hearing aids

are accompanied by a specific microphone device that teachers wear in order for the students to

hear them clearly no matter how far away they are. If a teacher is not trained on how to operate

this device or continuously forgets to wear it, the student has to struggle through class with the

useless sounds of muffled voices. Another example would be a teacher not providing extra time

or a separate, quiet space to complete a test for a student who struggles in reading or focusing. It

is easy to see how these sorts of disabilities create a trying time for students without the added

bullying and harassment if they also happen to be members of the LGBTQ+ community.

We can empower these students with technology such as options to use talk-to-text apps

for taking notes or for teachers to access websites with additional tips and studies on how to aid

these students. For those who feel they need a space to be themselves, schools could consider

implementing LGTBQ+ resource centers. These centers typically include opportunities for

student mentorships, counseling, advocation books and article, etc. Schools could also allow for

students and staff to create official clubs and organizations for LGBTQ+ students and allies to do
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fun activities together, discuss and try to solve issues in the school, participate in community

service, and more (ACO). These sort of resources would not only support students in the

LGBTQ+ community, but also create exposure for those not within this community to help them

see these students as equal individuals and perhaps reduce the rate of bullying due to ignorance.

The schools can allow the parents of these students to contribute or visit resource centers or some

of the after school clubs for them to become involved in the student’s success or see what exactly

the school is doing to help their child stay on a good path. If the parents are not supportive, the

students could at the very least have a place in their lives where they do feel accepted or the

school counselors could provide connections to the families for additional counseling outside of

the school if needed.

Applications and Recommendations

As a future teacher, there are a few things I can do on a personal level that are

recommended to help in student success. Remember that the big picture for these students is a

feeling of overall well-being. This in turn keeps a classroom’s affective filter low, and when the

filter is low, participating and grades improve. One easy way is to show that your classroom is a

“safe zone” for any and all students including those who are members of the LGBTQ+

community. GLSEN has explained that "the safe space campaign, like enumerated antibullying

policies, makes a tremendous difference in LGBTQ students' perceptions that their schools are

safe and that their teachers are adults they can trust” (WGU).

It is also the job of a teacher to protect their students. If I were to come across instances

of bullying for a student who is LGBTQ+, I need to do more than simply “break it up”. I need to

share my expectations of respect right from the beginning and educate students about the subject

before bullying begins. GLSEN has an abundance of resources that teachers can utilize in their

classrooms including a calendar of various pride and awareness days, an inclusive curriculum

guide, and detailed recommendations on how to go about a bullying situation (Activity List). As I
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have these at my disposal, I can be prepared to handle a variety of incidents that could occur in

my classroom.

Another suggestion is to include LGBTQ+ topics into my own curriculum (WGU). This

can be as subtle as using subject video that is created or narrated by someone who is within this

community. This could range to a more abrupt and spot-on references. For example, my subject

includes teaching about child development and family dynamics. It would be important for me to

consider teaching many types of family situations, including children who are raised by a gay or

lesbian couple. I could also help break stereotypes in my content area of sewing and cooking

classes and how it is something that is not strictly “a woman’s job”. I need to make sure to allow

any student to join these classes and not pressure anyone out, as I have seen done in the past with

any women or gay men in woodshop and welding classes.

A final recommendation would be to continue pursuing professional development and

awareness of this community. I was not aware of how many training opportunities there were for

teachers to become competent and masters in including students of the LGBTQ+ community.

This can be done through specific associations such as GLSEN or through state trainings such as

one offered from the California Department of Education. As I continue in growing as a

professional, this will further qualify me to educate and aid students, parents, and other teachers

on issues and possible solutions regarding the LGBTQ+ community. It is more than simply

“becoming an ally”, it is standing for rights of every human being, whether their lifestyle is

something universally agreed upon or not.

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Bibliography

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American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Avoiding heterosexual bias in language. American

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Protects Students from Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity |
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