Non-binary people's experiences in Scotland: evidence review

Education

Current research suggests that there is a lack of support for non-binary and trans people in high school and university. Overall, non-binary participants in research outlined in this chapter have highlighted normative assumptions of gender binaries embedded within school spaces and the curriculum, as well as being reflected in the behaviour of staff and peers.

LGBT Youth Scotland^[vi] reported a lack of support within education settings in the report ‘Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People’ 2022^[29]. This survey found that:

• 17% of non-binary respondents had left education due to homophobic and transphobic bullying and harassment.
• While not specific to non-binary people, 52% of trans participants rated their school experience as bad.
• Only 26% of trans students felt confident reporting transphobic bullying to the staff in schools.
• 57% of trans students reported experiencing transphobic bullying at school, this fell to 16% for university students and 14% for college students.

It appears that non-binary people have similarly negative experiences to trans people in educational institutions.

A qualitative study^[30] of 74 gender-diverse young people highlighted experiences of discrimination in schools in the UK. This discrimination was experienced at many different levels such as the curriculum, spaces within the school, teachers, and peers. The research suggests that schools appeared to be designed with a gender binary in mind and this left a lack of gender-neutral spaces such as toilets and changing rooms. This led to challenges for participants who were unable to use a gender-neutral space and were forced into selecting a gender binary to use facilities. Discriminatory attitudes were found throughout the participants’ experiences at school, with participants highlighting that the school environment was tolerant to slurs and transphobic language. Bullying from peers and teachers was highlighted as a particular issue for non-binary and gender questioning respondents, potentially arising due to the reliance on gender as a stable concept in schools and wider society.

Another qualitative study^[31] investigated the experiences of seven participants attending a Scottish University. This small study highlighted direct experiences of queerphobic bullying and harassment in halls of residence. Specifically, regarding a non-binary participant, they found that single-sex residencies and toilets and the complex process of changing their gender on university systems was a challenge for them. These studies highlighted non-binary participants had unique experiences of discrimination compared to binary-trans identifying participants due to the lack of understanding of non-binary gender categories, a lack of gender-neutral spaces, and legal frameworks available to them. This finding would benefit from further qualitative research in order to gather a more in depth understanding of the differences between the experiences of non-binary and binary-trans people.