For over two decades, the inclusion of trans women in women’s spaces and organizations such as transition houses has been discussed and debated by women-only organizations, feminists, trans activists, and the broader public. Drawing on an interpretive description approach, my research examines the experiences of transition house counsellors (“counsellors”) who have worked with trans women accessing residential support. My research topic and questions emerged from my experience as a counsellor and are informed by a desire to better meet the needs of trans women affected by intimate partner violence (“IPV”), and to help fill gaps in available research, information, and practical resources to help service providers meet the needs of trans women affected by IPV. Specifically, my research questions are: (1) what challenges, opportunities, and insights do counsellors experience when working with trans women clients, and (2) how do counsellors adjust and adapt their practices in response to these challenges, opportunities, and insights when working with trans women accessing transition house support? Using purposive sampling, I recruited nine counsellors who have worked with trans women accessing transition house support. Data collection involved semi-structured in-depth-interviews of these participants to gain an understanding of their experiences and perspectives related to working with trans women accessing transition house support. Consistent with an interpretive description approach to research, I analyzed my data by drawing on both my experience as a counsellor and through thematic qualitative analysis. My research finds that participants unanimously supported the inclusion of trans women in transition house settings. While the majority of participants emphatically stated that they did not respond to trans women any differently than they did to cis women, my findings show that how participants responded to trans women was informed by how well they perceived a trans client’s gender expression to match her gender identity. As such, my analysis reveals that participants’ responses to trans women was mediated by their unconscious adoption of a broader dominant heteronormative cisgenderist IPV framework that operates at both an individual and institutional level. My research therefore highlights some of the limitations that affect trans women accessing transition house support when counsellors and organizations respond to IPV through a heteronormative cisgenderist framework. / Graduate

Children begin to develop their understanding of gender in preschool, yet there is a dearth of research focused on understanding how preschool teachers affect the gender identity development of young children. Guided by Rokeach's belief systems theory, this qualitative case study explored the pedagogical strategies and perceptions of 4 Sacramento County, California preschool educators related to the gender identity development of young children. Interview data were collected and coded to derive 12 participant-specific themes and 3 common intersecting themes, which showed that teachers' perspectives on gender identity development were influenced by social rules, biases, and a lack of pedagogical knowledge related to more expansive definitions of gender. As a result of the lack of pedagogical knowledge, there was only 1 gender-related instructional strategy concerning gender roles, and this strategy was used by only 1 of the 4 respondents. Although they may have shown confusion relating to aspects of gender, these preschool teachers demonstrated a genuine interest in learning how to create safe spaces for gender exploration in the preschool classroom. These findings have led to the creation of a professional development series designed to educate preschool teachers about gender identity development, provide them with opportunities to develop curricula, and allow them to reflect upon their cisgender-related biases. Educators, administrators, and policymakers may find it useful to apply the results of this study and resultant project when creating educational programs and college-level curricula and policies. The results could also help educators create affirmative educational environments for all children, regardless of their biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression.