ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the marginalization of trans-gender identity within teacher education. Conversations about transgender people and relationships often revealed the limits of students' comfort with fluid, non-binary identities. Also relevant to students' future work with young people was the limited empathy that they expressed for Jennifer Finney Boylan. Effective questions could have pointed students outward, into a deeper exploration of queer theory, and toward pedagogical implications, as well as inward toward reflexive positioning and the development of empathy. Teacher education must prepare teacher candidates to support transgender youth. This work involves educating teacher candidates about transgender individuals but it involves more as well. Helping teacher candidates to step back from and analyze their own discourse related to transgender issues may offer opportunities for teacher candidates to develop this doubled gaze. Yet literature on the examination of transgender issues with teacher candidates remains rare.
