YouTube as a site of desubjugation for trans and nonbinary youth: pedagogical potentialities and the limits of whiteness

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the educative significance of YouTube as a space of self-expression for transgender and non-binary youth without being hindered by pervasive cisnormative and cisgenderist expectations that are institutionalised and sanctioned in the education system. We employ transgender studies informed epistemological frameworks to investigate one specific online project called The Gender Tag Project created by and for youth, which we argue serves as a desubjugating space for self-identification of gender, and specifically, trans self-determination. Case analysis of selected videos posted by trans and non-binary youth is undertaken as a basis for providing critical insight into their relevance for generating knowledge about gender expansiveness and their pedagogical potential in the classroom. We reflect on the implications of The Gender Tag Project for envisaging more broadly a trans expansive educational agenda that is cognisant of addressing the limits of whiteness.