[HS and College] Inclusive and Accurate Approaches for Teaching Sex and Gender in Biology

Project Biodiversify team members Alex Webster, Ash Zemenick, and Sarah Jones presented this workshop at the 2018 Annual Meeting for the Ecological Society of America (ESA). The slides contain comprehensive information about the benefits of teaching inclusive biology, and how to adapt existing curricula using an iterative process. Extensive examples are given for sexual reproduction, sex determination, and sexual selection.

LGBT high school seniors were more likely to be interested in studying STEM [...] in college if their relevant high school classes had included positive LGBT content." (GLSEN, 2013)

The 2013 GLSEN National School Climate Survey is the most recent GLSEN survey to report a correlation between LGBT-inclusive science teaching and students' interest in studying STEM.

“LGBT high school seniors were more likely to be interested in studying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) or Social Science in college if their relevant high school classes had included positive LGBT content (35.8% vs. 18.5% for STEM majors; 29.0 vs. 19.7% for Social Science majors).”

— GLSEN, 2013 (page xx)

The Effects of Gender Neuroessentialism on Transprejudice: An Experimental Study

This research by Boby Ho-Hong Ching and Jason Teng Xu suggests that biology teaching may have the power to reduce transphobic attitudes in students. In the experiment, students read one of two articles - one claimed that sex differences in personality and social behavior are caused by neurological factors, and the other claimed that brain and environment interact to shape personality and behavior. Students who read the first article were less likely to support equal rights and anti-discrimination protections for transgender people.

Article uploaded with permission from Boby Ho-Hong Ching.

Activity: Sex Verification of Athletes

In this web activity by HHMI BioInteractive, students integrate knowledge from several areas of genetics to understand the history and the science behind sex verification of athletes.

The key concepts covered in the activity are:

• Information stored in DNA is expressed as RNA and proteins, which impact anatomical structures and physiology.

• Many gene products determine the development of biological sex characteristics in humans.

• Like many traits, biological sex consists of a spectrum of phenotypes.

• Scientific knowledge (e.g., knowledge about which genes and other factors contribute to a person's traits) can inform societal practices (e.g., what types of tests can be used to define an individual's biological sex), although ultimately implementing those practices reflects our values as a society.

The lab techniques covered in the activity are:

• Physical examination

• Barr body staining

• PCR and gel electrophoresis of SRY gene

• Serum testosterone measurement

6 Ways I Make My Science Class LGBTQ-Inclusive as a Trans Teacher

In this article for GLSEN, Lewis Maday-Travis offers six high-impact ways to include LGBTQ students in science class.

LGBTQ inclusion in Educator preparation: getting ready for gender and sexual diversity in secondary school settings

In this Ph.D. dissertation, M. H. Hoelscher, discusses findings on possibilities for LGBTQ inclusion in life science educator preparation programs. Hoelscher suggests ways to integrate LGBTQ topics in many areas of biology curriculum, and reports on a multiple-case study of how science teacher candidates adopt LGBTQ inclusion.

The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles

The false romance of egg and sperm

In this article, anthropologist Emily Martin analyzes the metaphors that are used to teach reproduction and makes the claim that these metaphors reflect the socially constructed definitions of male and female.

Martin highlights modern research that dispels stereotypes of the sperm as being more aggressive, remarkable, and valuable than the egg. She advises scientists and educators to be aware of biases in the metaphors we use to describe human sex cells.

read the article (pdf)

LGBTQIA Science/STEM Etymology

This is a partial list of root words that occur in both LGBTQIA issues and STEM content. Each root word has its own poster. This is a tool to help teachers integrate gender-inclusive themes into their teaching.

You might ask students to speculate on the meaning of a new science word like “homozygous” based on the meaning of the familiar word “homosexual”. Or you might have students write formal definitions of “transgender” and “cisgender” to apply their vocabulary after a lesson on cis- and trans-isomers. By taking a quick moment to make the connection, you can improve student literacy and affirm diverse identities in your classroom.

Activity: Nondisjunction and Intersex Traits

Description

In this activity, students pick up the nuts and bolts of nondisjunction by playing the Meiosis Game created by Sara Freeman and Matt Gilbert. Students simulate two scenarios of nondisjunction and record information about the intersex traits that arise. Students learn that while 46,XX and 46,XY are the most common human karyotypes, there are many other viable and naturally occurring variations. Then students evaluate the merits and limitations of the model.

Student Work Samples

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Student Worksheet

Nondisjunction and Intersex Traits - Use https://mattgilbert.net/biologygames/meiosis/index.html The most common karyotypes are 46,XX (typical women) and 46,XY (typical men). A human with a different karyotype from these is said to have a form of intersex trait. In this activity, you will explore intersex traits that can result from nondisjunction (not separating) of sex chromosomes (X and Y) during meiosis.

Teacher Moves: "But what do I say?" Responses to Gender Questions

Check out this selection of teacher responses to possible put-downs or questions about gender. The main rule of thumb is to be affirming and respectful of a preference or viewpoint while maintaining a safe space for emotional and intellectual challenge. Easy, right? /sarcasm

Link: http://www.welcomingschools.org/pages/be-prepared-for-questions-and-put-downs-about-gender/

Excerpt:

• Question: “But he’s a boy, why does he dress like a girl?”

• Response(s): “There are lots of different ways that boys can dress and lots of different ways that girls can dress. There are lots of ways that people of any gender can dress. All of these things are OK in our school. Those are the kinds of clothes that he likes to wear? What kinds of clothes do you like to wear?”

• Question: “You overhear a student call another student who identifies as a boy, a “girl” in an insulting way.

• Response(s): “That’s not OK at our school to call someone a “girl” to insult them or make them feel bad. We don’t use gender as a put-down.”

Gender-inclusion in classrooms "increase[s] students’ ability to empathize with others and embrace many forms of diversity" (Ching and Xu, 2017)

“LGBTQ students experience depression at higher rates than general population, negatively influencing success in college & higher rates of attempted or actual suicide.” (Pediatrics 2011)

“Nationally, LGBTQ students experience depression at higher rates than the general population, which negatively influences success in college (1) or worse, higher rates of attempted or actual suicide. Students who come out to their guardians may also lose financial support, jeopardizing persistence toward a degree. (2) Because we are a Catholic university, we recognize the inherent human dignity of all of our students and, as a result, are obligated to support their success. This is as true of our LGTBQ students as any other cohort. We know, however, that LGBTQ students often face unique challenges, including struggling to negotiate their sexual orientation and/or gender identity with their faith development. (3)”

— Rio et al. (2016) University of San Diego 2015-2016 LGBTQ Student Success Survey, available at https://www.sandiego.edu/inclusion/documents/2015-16%20LGBT%20Student%20Success%20Study%20FINAL.pdf.

Citing:

1. Hatzenbuehler, M. L. (2011). The social environment and suicide attempts in lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Pediatrics, 127(5), 896-903; Schmidt, C. K., Miles, J. R., & Welsh, A. C. (2010). Perceived discrimination and social support: The influences on career development and college adjustment of LGBT college students. Journal of Career Development, 0894845310372615. Paul, J. P., et al (2002). Suicide attempts among gay and bisexual men: lifetime prevalence and antecedents. American Journal of Public Health, 92(8), 1338-1345.

2. Higa, D. et al (2014). Negative and positive factors associated with the well-being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Youth & Society 46(5), 663-687.

3. Gattis, M. N., Woodford, M. R., & Han, Y. (2014). Discrimination and depressive symptoms among sexual minority youth: Is gay-affirming religious affiliation a protective factor? Arch Sex Behav 43, 1589- 1599.

"A growing number of colleges and universities have been asking students to identify their gender identity and sexual orientation on admissions forms." (INSIGHT into Diversity 2016)

“In the last decade, a growing number of colleges and universities have been asking students to identify their gender identity and sexual orientation on admissions forms, either by adding a question to their own application or by adding a supplemental question to the Common Application. These institutions include Dartmouth College, Duke University, Elmhurst College, Elon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern Illinois University, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Rochester, and all two-year colleges in California and Washington. In addition, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), the most comprehensive source of information on college students, has also begun to ask questions about sexual orientation and gender identity.”

— Shane Windmeyer, INSIGHT Into Diversity 2016

Evolution's Rainbow: A queer species database of 200+ organisms

Need a research Topic for queerness in living organisms?

Check out the 🔎SPECIES DATABASE from Stanford biologist Joan Roughgarden’s book, EVOLUTION’S RAINBOW (University of California Press). Click the link above, or check out the embedded document below for 200+ species from the asexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, intersex, and hermaphrodite spectra. Includes behavior, neurobiology, and chromosomal phenomena.

Editor’s note: The term "hermaphrodite" is appropriate for referring to non-human animals with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. For humans, “intersex” is the appropriate term—learn more here!

"Young people and adults who adhere to rigid gender stereotyping and notions of masculinity are more likely to experience and commit sexual harassment and dating violence.” (Promundo 2018)

“When men believe that they are not – or are not perceived to be – “masculine” or “man enough,” they may use intimate partner violence as a way to overcompensate or conform with gendered expectations (Moore and Stuart 2005; Reidy et al. 2014). This dynamic is sometimes called “masculine discrepancy stress” or “gender role stress,” and it may be linked to multiple forms of violence.

A study in India (Krishnan et al. 2010) found that women were more likely to experience intimate partner violence if their husbands’ job stability decreased. A threat to a man’s status as a breadwinner might represent a threat to his masculine identity and thus could prompt violence as a way to regain social status and maintain power structures in the home, particularly if his wife was more securely employed.”

— Heilman & Barker (2018:28)

“Multiple studies confirm that rigid norms regarding gender, gender roles, family, and marriage – together with men’s childhood experiences of violence – contribute to men’s use of violence against female partners (Heise 2011; Moore and Stuart 2005; Levtov et al. 2014).

When men adhere more strongly to rigid, inequitable definitions of masculinity, they are more likely to also report perpetrating many forms of intimate partner violence (Barker et al. 2011; Levtov et al. 2014; Fleming et al. 2015).

In some settings, specific norms establish violence as an acceptable gender expression and problem-solving strategy for men, as well as social acceptance of intimate partner violence as a normal part of intimate relationships (Heise 2011).

In many contexts, a man’s use of violence against his wife as a way to control her behavior and reinforce
power structures implicitly or explicitly confers greater social status.”

— Heilman & Barker (2018:28)

The study describes comprehensive programs and multiple examples of ways to engage people of all genders in discussions about how traditional gender norms and gender non-conformity are connected with perpetration and experiences of bullying. Initiatives aimed at providing participants with a safe place to practice nonviolent, healthier ways to navigate peer groups and social dynamics incorporate gender-transformative methods to reshape the ways young people negotiate status and gender how they treat others.

Citation

Heilman, B. with Barker, G. (2018). Masculine Norms and Violence: Making the Connections. Washington, DC: Promundo-US. Available at https://promundoglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Masculine-Norms-and-Violence-Making-the-Connection-20180424.pdf.

“Receiving [information to counter gender stereotyping] at an early age is critical; there has been a steady decline in the average age at which puberty begins..." (NYT & PNAS 2015)

“Receiving [information designed to counter gender stereotyping] at an early age is critical. There has been a steady decline in the average age at which puberty begins. Among those assigned female at birth, some breast development by age seven and eight is no longer an anomaly. The age of the onset of puberty has also fallen for those assigned male at birth, from an average of age 11 to 10.5.”

— Tabuchi (NY Times 2015) & Joel et alia. (Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences 2015)

Tabuchi, H. (2015) “Sweeping Away Gender-Specific Toys and Labels” The New York Times. Retrieved on January 23, 2019 from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/28/ business/sweeping-away-gender-specific-toys-and-labels.html

Joel, D et al. (2015) “Sex beyond the genitalia: The human brain mosaic.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dec 2015, 112 (50) 15468-15473

“Numerous studies found that beliefs in narrowly defined constructs of masculinity are associated with decreased well-being in intimate relationships.” (American Academy of Pediatrics 2018)

“Numerous studies have found that beliefs in narrowly defined constructs of masculinity are associated with decreased well-being in intimate relationships.”

— Rafferty, J. (American Academy of Pediatrics 2018)

Rafferty, J. (2018) Gender Identity Development in Children. American Academy of Pediatrics. Retrieved on January 14, 2019 from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/Gender-Identity-and-Gender-Confusion-In-Children.aspx, updated 5/11/22.

“[Of 45,689 papers, those] written by ethnically diverse groups were cited 11.2% more than were papers written by non-diverse groups.” (Nature 2018)

““Being inclusive gives research groups a competitive edge. It also happens to be the right thing to do...[Researchers matched 45,689 papers and found that,] all other factors being equal, the papers written by ethnically diverse groups were cited 11.2% more than were papers written by non-diverse groups.””

— Kendall Powell (Nature 2018)

Powell, K. (2018) These labs are remarkably diverse — here’s why they’re winning at science, Nature 558, 19-22. doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-05316-5.