From the EDITORS

DEAR READERS,

Welcome aboard the second issue of the Engage for Change Journal! We invite you to find a comfortable seat, settle in, and take flight with us on a journey that navigates the complexities and intricacies of topics connected to our target destination: gender justice. As with all flights, there may be a bit of turbulence as some articles tackle sensitive subjects, and while we encourage you to read all articles, you are the pilot of your flight and can decide to pause or skip an article if you do not wish to read about a certain topic in this issue of the Engage for Change Journal.

WHAT IS THE ENGAGE FOR CHANGE JOURNAL?

The mission of the Journal is to provide an outlet for the community to express their perceptions, ideas, and research on key social, political, and economic issues that affect Lancaster and surrounding communities and to promote a culture of compassionate engagement on such issues.

While our last issue focused on environmental justice, this issue, the second issue of the Journal, focuses on gender justice, exploring what it means for Pennsylvania citizens in general and Lancaster County residents in particular and what can be done moving forward.

WHAT IS GENDER JUSTICE?

To define gender justice broadly, it is a space where everyone, regardless of their gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation can live equitably. Gender justice is not siloed: it deeply and necessarily intersects with other forms of oppression such as racism, classism, and sexism. Achieving gender justice means “dismantling institutionalised obstacles that prevent some people from participating on a par with others, as full partners in social interaction” (Mackenziea & Talbottb, 2018, p. 667). Although we have made strides to secure gender justice, there is still a long way to go. According to Jessica Johnson (2018), gender justice is “a challenge, a goal, an ideal, something to which people aspire, for which they strive, argue, and compete” (p. 172). Gender justice “necessarily identifies the terrain of gender as a process of becoming, and of collective action” (Mackenziea & Talbottb, 2018, p. 667). It is, as Christian Laheij (2020) points out, “infinite, abstract and prospective; it is, by definition, yet to come” (p.153).

What has been done for gender justice nationally? Over time, citizens of the United States have worked toward gender equity, though there is still much more work to be done. In his work, Aamir Jamal (2015) argues that the goal of gender justice requires “not only a change of mind-set attitudes, and behaviors, but also a significant shift in the existing power relations between and among women and men” (p. 274). Some significant progress made in the U.S. in the past two years includes the following:

• On October 22, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration organized the White House Gender Policy Council, tasked with developing and implementing the first of its kind National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality and creating a vision and comprehensive agenda to advance gender equity and equality in the U.S. and nations around the world.

• On February 25, 2021, the House passed the Equality Act, a bill that prohibits “discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system” (Equality Act, 2021).

• On June 23, 2022, Title IX, the civil rights law that protects individuals from sexual discrimination in educational programs that receive financial assistance, celebrated its 50th anniversary by proposing important changes: broadening the definition of sexual harassment and discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity and ensuring that schools respond to complaints of sexual discrimination and harassment promptly and fairly and support those affected by sexual discrimination and harassment.

• On December 13, 2022, December 9, 2022, November 28, 2022, the President signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act (after having passed the House and Senate), requiring states to recognize same-sex unions and providing the same federal benefits as any married couple.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN PENNSYLVANIA?

Some progress made in Pennsylvania in the past several years includes the following:

• On August 4, 2015, Governor Wolf signed Executive Order 2017-02, reestablishing the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, responsible for advising on legislation affecting women and identifying and supporting opportunities that benefit and advance women.

• On June 6, 2018, Governor Wolf signed Executive Order 2018-18-03 to promote equal pay for Pennsylvania employees.

• On June 15, 2021, legislators introduced the Fairness Act, which would protect Pennsylvanians from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression; however, this bill has not yet been passed despite support from both parties.

• On June 16, 2021, Governor Wolf signed Executive Order 2021-04, which added sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression as protected classes under Pennsylvania’s sexual harassment policies in the workplace.

• On August 16, 2022, Governor Wolf signed Executive Order 2022-2 to protect LGBTQIA+ Pennsylvanians from conversion therapy.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE?

Thank you for taking a gender justice journey with us. In the research section, we take off with Megan Gockley’s article “The Dominance of Missing White Woman Syndrome.” By using two cases of missing young women, the author calls our attention to the social and news media biases concerning missing women of color. From the social and news media, you are transported to an educational setting, where in her research study “Protecting Transgender and Non-Binary Students through School District Policy Development,” Sherri Castillo advocates for the development of inclusive policies to support and affirm transgender and non-binary students in Pennsylvania schools. Similarly, in her article “Female Bias in Special Education,” Brenna Fallon discusses the current lack of support for female students who are in need of special education services. From the current educational context, in her article “Suppression of Female Sexuality ‘’ Christa Gumbravich invites you to visit the past to trace the oppression of female sexuality from historical to contemporary times. Picking up Christa Gumbravich’s conversation on the concept of sexual freedom, in her article “Bodies,” Alyssa Daniels deepens our understanding about how the lack of women’s bodily autonomy and lost rights to reproductive freedom are tied to denigration, commodification, and sexual objectification of women’s bodies. To give us hope for a better future, in their collaborative article “Women as Global Champions,” Abigail Azizkhan, Rebecca Berglund, Buck Rodgers, Lesley Colabucci, and Deborah Tamakloe analyze five picture books and discuss how in their fight for gender justice, the main female protagonists inspire change in the minds and hearts of the young generations to create an intersectional, empowering, and equitable space for all. Bringing us back to the present moment of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, in her article “Bodies in Feminist Ideology,” Alicia Hill encourages us to engage with feminist theorists and scholars to clarify our own beliefs about women’s reproductive rights and societal standards for women’s bodies. Through challenging mainstream feminist views and offering graphic descriptions of physical and sexual violence, in her article “Drowned Out: The Evolution of Violence Against Indigenous Women and its Connection to Indigenous Feminism,” Jillian Bergin centers our attention on the persistent violence against Indigenous women since the colonization of North America.

Your next stop is meant to be a restorative space. In her impact article “Give Sorrow Words,” Aimee Feuda explores the healing powers of ethnographic writing within trauma support groups. Similarly, the creative section reminds you to pause and reflect. In her creative piece “Who Speaks for the Trees,” Reagan Gorham vividly depicts how contemporary society generally views sexual assault, siding with the perpetrator. In their “Not a Girl ‘’ creative article, Abbie Breckbill beautifully draws an intimate portrait of a non-binary person on their journey to coming home to themselves and their family. In his perspective article “The Inclusion of Transgender Men in the Feminist Discourse,” Spencer Micklo advocates for inclusion of transgender voices in feminist scholarship and activism.

Your final destination is the review section. In their review article “Bridgerton’s Compliance in a Cissexist Society,” Jenna Dumbrowsky invites us to explore and reflect on the popular television show’s missed opportunity to develop the main protagonist, Simon Basset, as a nonbinary character. Taking up the theme of sexual violence against women, in her article “A Literature Review: Sexual Assault in Universities,” Courtney Ledgard reviews the recent scholarship on sexual assault of female college students.

Thank you for choosing our journal. We hope that by taking this journey, you will walk away with a deeper understanding of gender justice issues presented in this issue and engage in creating a positive change in your local environment. Enjoy the flight!

Kerrie Farkas Professor of English: Writing Studies

Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol Undergraduate Research & Instruction Librarian

References

Equality Act, H.R. 5, 117th Congress. (2021). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5

Jamal, A. (2015). Engaging men for gender justice: Overcoming barriers to girls’ education in the Pashtun tribes of Pakistan. International Journal of Social Welfare, 24(3), 273–286. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12118

Jalonick, M.C. (November 29 2022). Senate passes landmark bill to protect same-sex marriage. Associated Press. Retrieved https://apnews.com/article/biden-religion-gay-rights-marriage-clarence-thomas-2d09d9213472d04195c64d09644f124c

Johnson, J. (2018). In search of gender justice: Rights and relationships in matrilineal Malawi. Cambridge University Press.

Laheij, C. (2020).Promises of gender justice in matrilineal Malawi. Journal of Southern African Studies, 47 (1), 151-153. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057070.2020.1820176

Mackenziea, S, & Talbottb, A. (2018). Gender justice/gender through the eyes of children: a Photovoice project with elementary school gender expansive and LGBTQ-parented children and their allies. Sexuality, Society,and Learning, 18(6), 655–671. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2018.1456915

FOUNDER AND CO-EDITORS

Kerrie R.H. Farkas, English & World Languages

Co-Editor, Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol, McNairy Library

EDITORIAL BOARD

Nivedita Bagchi, Government, Policy, and Law

Jill Craven, English & World Languages

Caleb Corkery, English & World Languages

Angela Cuthbert, Geography

Bertha DeJesus, Social Work

Adam Lawrence, Government, Policy, and Law

Justin Mando, English & World Languages

Nancy Mata, Art & Design

Laura Weise Cross, Biology

JOURNAL STAFF

Aimee Feuda, English: Multidisciplinary Studies: Science Writing, Editorial Team Liaison

Katherine McLaughlin, Speech Communication, Marketing & Outreach Specialist

Morgan Towle, Speech Communication, Web Design Specialist

Eden Swartzentruber, English: Writing Studies, Web Design Specialist

Rachel Gordon, English: Writing Studies, Project Manager for Authors

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Ryan Argenti, Meteorology

Natalie Brown, English: Writing Studies

Taylor Campagna, Multidisciplinary Studies, Sports Administration

Ryah Elagrab, Speech Communication

Erin Farrell, Multidisciplinary Studies, Sports Journalism

Kaitlyn Farrelly, English: Writing Studies

Teziah Howard, Multidisciplinary Studies, Sports Journalism

Jamie Hudson, English

Ethan Ijumba, Multidisciplinary Studies, Digital Journalism

Carly Kappler, Technology and Engineering

Joseph McCarrie, English

Blake McGowan, Speech Communication

Gabriella Messenger, Art

Samuel Morris, Multidisciplinary Studies, Digital Journalism

Olivia Moyer, Speech Communication

Muhammad Parham-Ransom, Undecided

Blake Ramey, Multidisciplinary Studies, Sports Journalism

Tanner Snyder, Music Industry

Bryn Spoerl, Early Childhood Education

Lauren Statuti, Media Arts Production

Tyresha Vaughan-Blanding, Multidisciplinary Studies, Digital Journalism

Amanda Wolf, English

Wes Zona, Anthropology

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Cheryl Lockley, University Communications & Marketing

Kelly Herr, University Communications & Marketing

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to express gratitude for support received from the Department of English & World Languages; Office of Grants, Sponsored Programs, and Research; President’s Commission on the Status of Women, Mentorship Support Grant Program; College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; University College.

TABLE of CONTENTS RESEARCH

The Dominance of Missing White Woman Syndrome

Megan Gockley | 5

Protecting Transgender and Non-Binary Students Through School

District Policy Development: A Case Study of 16 Districts

Sherri Castillo | 8

Female Bias in Special Education | Brenna Fallon | 16

The Suppression of Female Sexuality | Christa Gumbravich | 20

Bodies | Alyssa Daniels | 26

Exploring Women’s Identities in Picture Book Biographies: Striving for Global Citizenship and Gender Justice

Abigail Azizkhan, Rebecca Berglund, Buck Rodgers, Dr. Lesley Colabucci, and Dr. Deborah Tamakloe | 30

Bodies in Feminist Ideology | Alicia Hill | 38

Drowned Out: The Evolution of Violence Against Indigenous Women and Its Connection to Indigenous Feminism

Jillian Bergin | 42

Impact

Give Sorrow Words | Aimee Feuda | 46

Creative

Perspective

The Inclusion of Transgender Men in the Feminist Discourse Spencer Micklo | 54

Review

Bridgerton’s Compliance in a Cissexist Society