In Mexico, and particularly in the state of Sonora, trans people have been one of the most historically violated and vulnerable groups. However, this is a political subject that has made important progress in the last 14 years in terms of human rights such as legal recognition of gender identity, democratic participation, among others. This research is located within trans studies with the objective of analyzing access to higher education among this part of the population. It carries out a mixed method approach with survey and discussion group technique. The survey on practices and attitudes of exclusion/inclusion of trans people was applied to 860 participants in 3 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and two discussion groups were carried out in which 16 trans people participated in order to obtain narratives and subjectivities about their access to higher education. Preliminary results highlight mechanisms of exclusion in roll call, use of bathrooms, university procedures, invisibility of non-binary people, pedagogical training of staff, curricula, moral panic, and restriction of cultural capital. The results also show different practices and attitudes of inclusion led mainly by the universities’ trans community.                   

Foto: Privat

María Fernanda Juárez Velarde is PhD candidate at the Research Center in Food and Development (CIAD Sonora, Mexico). She is focused on Transgender Studies, which is a field of knowledge that aims to question the power/knowledge practices performed on trans persons. This field is increasingly receiving important contributions from Latin American academics.