Responsible Gender

In 2009, QuERI researchers began to take notes on the gender discrimination patterns we were seeing within the LGBTQ youth cohorts we worked with in schools. As more young transmen transitioned in middle school or the early years of high school and as young gay men interacted with each other, we were noting patterns of gender discrimination that devalued women and the gender characteristics culturally categorized as feminine.  We began having gender dialogues and activities in the GSAs and then decided to have a series of Responsible Masculinity workshops.  The first of these brought in an outside speaker, but subsequent workshops were led jointly by QuERI staff and staff from our college campus LGBT Center.  The workshops were on the university campus and transportation to campus was provided to the high school students interested in participating. All the students- high school and college – reported that this was the first time they had conversations on gender dynamics, power and respect.  We then took what we learned from these university campus workshops back into the GSAs to continue the conversations there.