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Lift Every Voice
particularly while I was a high school or undergradu- principles about trips with TGE singers to keep in mind
ate college student. My cisgender directors, like many so that directors can make the best decision possible for
others, did not understand or anticipate these hurdles their singers.
because they never really had to address them before.
This led to multiple instances where I was implicitly,
and sometimes explicitly, discouraged by directors Terminology to Know
from participating in these incredible trips, such as be- While it is beyond the scope of this article to ex-
ing told in college that people would find me “disgust- plore the entirety of LGBTQ+ and TGE related vo-
ing” simply because I existed as a transgender woman. cabulary, I believe it’s necessary to distinguish a few
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These experiences fortunately did not prevent me from terms that are often conflated when discussing TGE
going on these trips that I enjoyed so much, but rath- people, specifically the difference between someone’s
er furthered my desire to effect change in the choral Assigned Sex at Birth (ASAB) and their gender identity.
and music education worlds so that other cis directors ASAB is simply the sex you were assigned by medical
would stop attempting to discourage their transgender, professionals when you were born; genitalia is typically
non-binary, and gender expansive singers (TGE) from the main distinguisher informing whether “Male” or
going on trips. “Female” is written on a birth certificate. Though sex
Over the past few years, I have created resources is often reduced to this male/female binary, there are
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and presented lectures on working with TGE mu- a multitude of physical, hormonal, and chromosomal
sic students across the United States in locales rang- variations found in humans (especially when consider-
ing from major cities and universities to rural school ing the existence of those who are intersex), suggesting
districts and community ensembles. One of the most that sex, like gender, is less of a binary and more of a
common questions I still receive from many choir di- spectrum.
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rectors centers around the “right way” to include a Gender identity is someone’s internal sense of who
TGE singer, particularly one who is a minor, on choir they are, separate from one’s external features or their
tours and overnight trips. Unfortunately, there simply ASAB. Most individuals’ ASAB and gender identity
isn’t just one “right way.” My motto when it comes to line up. These people fall under the label of “cisgen-
working with TGE singers and musicians is “Every der” and represent a majority of the population. The
situation is different and contextual.” What works for term “transgender” is used as an umbrella term for
one TGE singer might not work for another. This is those whose ASAB and gender identity do not line up
especially true considering the recent rapid rise of an- in some way. There are many different identities that
ti-trans legislation. In 2023, 589 pieces of legislation can fall under the transgender umbrella, and while
targeting TGE people were introduced in the United some are comfortable identifying with the “transgen-
States. At the time of this article’s writing, eighty-five der” or “trans” designator, some opt to use other terms
of those laws have passed, with approximately half of that best match their own identity. I utilize the abbrevi-
the bills still undecided. This means that many direc- ation TGE throughout this article as an attempt to uni-
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tors are operating under a variety of legal circumstanc- versally include both those who identify as transgender,
es and have to navigate their own specific contexts to as well as those who use other terms for their identities.
find what works best for them and their singers. Even Many people conflate gender identity with sexual
in the TGE community, discourse around this subject orientation, which refers to who someone is attracted
is ever evolving, with TGE directors favoring different to. This has led to a common misconception that if
options based on their own paradigms and beliefs. It somebody is TGE it instantly means they are also gay,
would be imprudent to declare one option as the “best” lesbian, bisexual, or pansexual. Research suggests that
or “right” option. What follows is an examination of this is not the case, that gender identity and sexual ori-
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the pros and cons of different potential options for a entation are “weakly correlated constructs” at best.
director to consider as well as some universal guiding Or, to put it in layman’s terms, who you are in terms of

54 CHORAL JOURNAL November/December 2024 Volume 65 Number 4