Clothing, Identity, and Exclusion: Trans Experiences in the Educational System

Abstract

This communication examines the role of clothing as a mechanism of control and exclusion towards trans* individuals within the Argentine educational system. Drawing on the concept of social imaginary significations, it explores how gender binarism is naturalised and materialised through dress codes that discipline bodies. The research, based on the author's doctoral work, combines theoretical analysis with testimonies from trans* individuals, revealing how educational institutions have historically employed clothing as a tool for normalisation. The accounts highlight discriminatory practices, including denial of enrolment, imposition of uniforms based on sex assigned at birth, and pathologisation of non-binary identities. The study concludes that clothing functions simultaneously as a mechanism of oppression and a form of political resistance. In the face of an educational system that continues to reproduce binary logics, the findings underscore the necessity of effectively implementing the Educación Sexual Integral law and of developing policies that ensure trans* individuals' access to and retention within educational institutions.