New Study on Ace Trans College Students

I am thrilled to announce that Shay Valley, a leading ace scholar, and I are launching the first national U.S. study of undergrads and grad students who are both ace and trans and/or nonbinary. We are conducting this research to better understand the experiences of ace trans/nonbinary colleges students, given that a disproportionate number of ace youth identify as trans/nonbinary and vice-versa. At a time when trans and nonbinary young people are under attack like never before, it is critical that their voices be heard, and we will circulate the findings of this study widely.

The study involves taking a 20-30 minute survey and doing a 60-90 minute follow-up Zoom interview, where participants will be asked questions related to identifying as ace and trans/nonbinary and what their experiences have been as ace trans/nonbinary people. Students who complete both the survey and interview will be entered into a raffle to possibly win one of four $50 gift cards.

Individuals are eligible to participate in this study if they identify as ace (e.g., asexual, demi, gray) and trans and/or nonbinary (e.g., agender, genderfluid, genderqueer, demi, trans man, trans woman). Participants should also be a current undergraduate or graduate student at a U.S. college or university (to avoid any undue influence, we will not include any participants from the institutions where we work–UMass Amherst and the University at Buffalo).

The survey is available at tinyurl.com/acetransstudy

Article on Incoming College Students Published

Genny and Abbie Goldberg’s article on the gender identity and pronouns of incoming trans and nonbinary college students has been published in the International Journal of LGBTQ+ Youth Studies! We found significant differences in students identifying as trans and nonbinary by legal sex and citizenship status and less so by race. In terms of pronouns, more than 90% of the students who went by a pronoun set beyond “she/her” or “he/him” used “they/them.” The full article can be accessed on this website. All of the research findings are available on my website.

What I Would Have Asked Trump & Biden

Genny was one of the higher education people asked by Inside Higher Ed to suggest a question that they would pose at the first presidential debate, if they were given the chance.

Genny’s question: “Because of anti-DEI laws and policies, LGBTQ+ centers at state colleges and universities in Texas and Florida have been closed, and such centers in other states are threatened with closure. How do you respond to LGBTQ+ students who say that these spaces are a lifeline for them—that they likely would have dropped out of school or even attempted suicide if not for these centers and the support they received there?”

A Guide for Colleges on Gender Identity and Pronouns

For the Common Application, Genny wrote A Brief Guide to Common App’s Name, Sex, and Gender Questions for Member Institutions. Common App is the admissions form used by more than 1,000 colleges in the U.S. In 2021, Common App added optional questions asking gender identity and pronouns, and this guide suggests how colleges should use this information to support their incoming trans and nonbinary students.