Fernando
Salinas-Quiroz
Assistant Professor
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development
So, as a scholar diving into Child Study and Human Development, I've got a fun mix of psychology, education, and Transgender studies in my toolkit. My research focuses on how kids and teens navigate their social lives, especially those who shake things up regarding gender and family norms. I'm super interested in how young people challenge the old-school gender binary and what that means for their lives, education, and well-being.
And seriously, if you haven't checked out Christopher Goodey's book, "Development: The History of a Psychological Concept", you're missing out! Here's a juicy tidbit: he argues that we should consider the idea that humans—yes, even the little ones—don't just develop; they change! And there's no reason to box that change into the old-school 'development' box (Goodey, 2021, p. 4). Basically, he's saying that development is just one way of looking at change, and it's stuck in a specific time frame. This whole 'development' idea often paints people as locked into a rigid path, aiming for stability and constancy—especially regarding gender. Lately, I've been all about being true to myself and my intersecting identities, so I'm stepping away from the term 'development' to embrace the complexity of change instead.
In a climate where Trans people—especially Trans youth—are targets of political campaigns and media debates about our right to exist (Daniels, 2022), my work alongside these young people has become more urgent than ever. Since 2020, a disturbing number of anti-Trans laws have been proposed and passed, primarily aimed at controlling Trans and Nonbinary (TNB) youth's bodies and limiting their lives. This climate of fear stifles the joy, imagination, and hope that every child deserves (TfS, n.d.). My research aims to confront these challenges head-on, co-creating and advocating with TNB youth to ensure their experiences are recognized and celebrated.
I strive to Trans-form our understanding of childhood, parenting, and educational environments to make them inclusive and supportive of all gender identities and expressions, regardless of institutional legibility. By employing innovative approaches (like Youth Participatory Action Research) and methodologies (such as Reflexive Thematic Analysis, RTA), I aim to expand existing developmental theories to better account for the experiences and changes of TNB youth. This approach not only advances our academic understanding but also has practical applications for creating more inclusive policies and practices in schools and families.
Our groundbreaking series of articles are the first of their kind globally:
1. We established minimum criteria for nonbinary gender identification in young children (Salinas-Quiroz & Sweder, 2023).
2. We explored how nonbinary children, ages three to eight, perceive and understand their gender identity (Salinas-Quiroz et al., 2024).
3. We investigated how parents learn to support their nonbinary children, examining their emotional processes and the Trans-formative nature of this journey (Sweder, Garcia, & Salinas-Quiroz, 2024).
These studies utilized RTA within a framework of ontological relativism and epistemological constructivism—an innovative approach, especially within the traditionally quantitative realms of child studies and human developmental.
I am committed to fostering collaboration across disciplines, viewing my research as an 'intellectual trading zone' (Billard et al., 2022) where insights from child studies, psychology, education, and Trans studies can generate new understandings of human growth. This applied Trans-disciplinary approach allows me to address complex questions about identity formation, social relationships, and supportive environments for children and youth of all genders.
To tackle the urgent issues facing TNB youth, I've initiated a YPAR program with Trans Formative Schools in New York City. This project, co-designed by TNB students, seeks to revolutionize educational practices by centering Trans joy and social justice. In collaboration with Mocha Celis, the first Popular Transgender High School in the world, located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I've extended my work to examine the educational experiences of Trans students in Latin America, where the struggles for basic rights are compounded by ongoing colonial and racial violence.
Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of child and youth growth—one that recognizes and celebrates all gender modalities (Ashley, 2022). Through my teaching and research, I aim to prepare future professionals in Child Study and Human Development to create more affirming and equitable spaces for all children and youth. In doing so, I hope to foster a world where the joy, imagination, and hope of every child, regardless of their gender identity, can flourish.
