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(Don't) Fight for Your Right to Party: Exploring the Educational Significance of Trans Joy at Prom

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Title: (Don't) Fight for Your Right to Party: Exploring the Educational Significance of Trans Joy at Prom
Language: English
Authors: Annaliese DeVita
Source: International Journal of Human Rights Education. 2025 9(1).
Availability: International Journal of Human Rights Education. 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117. e-mail: ijhre@usfca.edu; Web site: https://repository.usfca.edu/ijhre
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: LGBTQ People, Adolescents, Inclusion, Safety, Student Rights, High School Students, Social Life, Social Bias, Social Justice, Minority Group Students
Geographic Terms: Minnesota
ISSN: 2691-8633
Abstract: Prom, a hallmark of American adolescence, is often dismissed as a frivolous tradition, yet it holds profound significance as a space for youth identity formation, social belonging, and cultural navigation. For trans and gender-expansive youth, the stakes of participation in this rite of passage are heightened amidst escalating attacks on their existence. This essay, drawing from graduate thesis research at the University of Edinburgh, examines the historical roots of prom, its embedded cis-heteronormative structures, and how Queer Youth Proms (QYPs) function as sites of resilience, joy, and self-determination for trans youth. While QYPs offer a critical refuge, their existence underscores broader systemic failures in ensuring trans adolescents' safety and inclusion in mainstream educational and social experiences. Situating prom within the larger discourse on education, human rights, and community-building. This paper argues for the necessity of protected, affirming spaces where trans youth can experience joy not as an act of defiance, but as an expectation.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1472873
Database: ERIC
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  Data: International Journal of Human Rights Education. 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117. e-mail: ijhre@usfca.edu; Web site: https://repository.usfca.edu/ijhre
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  Data: Prom, a hallmark of American adolescence, is often dismissed as a frivolous tradition, yet it holds profound significance as a space for youth identity formation, social belonging, and cultural navigation. For trans and gender-expansive youth, the stakes of participation in this rite of passage are heightened amidst escalating attacks on their existence. This essay, drawing from graduate thesis research at the University of Edinburgh, examines the historical roots of prom, its embedded cis-heteronormative structures, and how Queer Youth Proms (QYPs) function as sites of resilience, joy, and self-determination for trans youth. While QYPs offer a critical refuge, their existence underscores broader systemic failures in ensuring trans adolescents' safety and inclusion in mainstream educational and social experiences. Situating prom within the larger discourse on education, human rights, and community-building. This paper argues for the necessity of protected, affirming spaces where trans youth can experience joy not as an act of defiance, but as an expectation.
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