EDI Conference: Realities of Trans People in Academic Settingsby Esteban Luis Torres Wicttorff
This conference offers a data-driven reflection on the challenges faced by trans people in academia, drawing on recent evidence and social observations.
Esteban will begin with a comparative statistical overview of graduates by gender identity (trans, cis, non-binary, etc.), highlighting persistent gaps in access to and success within higher education.
He will then explore the structural and institutional factors shaping these trajectories: the difficulty of obtaining legal recognition of gender identity, barriers related to infrastructure (bathrooms, forms, preferred names), and medical issues associated with transitions (including hormone treatments).
The talk will situate these realities within a broader context marked by the rollback of trans rights and policies in several countries, as well as a measurable decline in social tolerance toward trans people in recent years.
By tracing key milestones in the legal recognition of gender identities, Esteban will remind us how recent and fragile these advances remain.
Finally, he will shed light on the specific realities of academia — success rates, transition pathways during or after studies, and the lack of available data on these issues — inviting a collective reflection on how to make academic institutions truly inclusive for all.