Present, yet not welcomed : gender diverse teachers' experiences of discrimination

While a growing body of research has investigated gender and sexuality diverse (GSD) educators’ workplace experiences with the aim of understanding how GSD-inclusivity and awareness in schools impacts these educators’ sense of wellbeing and professional identity, far less research has worked specifically with gender diverse educators. Such explorations are particularly relevant in policy environments where few considerations are in place for these individuals and where experiences of bias-based discrimination may be more likely. This paper presents results from a mixed-method project which used survey and interview methods to explore the school workplace experiences of 44 gender diverse teachers from the Australian state of New South Wales. Findings underscore the relationship between personal experiences of discrimination and a lowered sense of wellbeing and underscore the challenges of visibility within a hetero/cisnormative schooling environment