What should educators do in the face of political and legislative bullying that targets their students?
As one of his first actions upon returning to office, President Trump issued an executive order revoking protections for LGBTQ+ students, with more anti-trans attacks likely to come. Meanwhile, the number of anti-transgender bills introduced across the United States . These bills attempt to censor teachers, block transgender and nonbinary students from using restrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity, ban transgender student athletes from participating in sports, and deny transgender youth access to necessary health care.
Even when these legislative or policy attacks don鈥檛 go into effect, . Researchers also recently : Trans and nonbinary youth in states that have passed these laws are an estimated, according to researchers, who found significant variation across different time periods and age ranges of participants.
As a trans advocate and author, and a former classroom teacher and the parent of a trans youth, both of us know that most educators want to support their trans and nonbinary students. To those ready to begin or continue this work, we offer the following principles: educate, affirm, include, and disrupt.
1. Educate teachers and staff.
Trans and nonbinary students deserve educators and school staff who are familiar with their needs and know where to turn for more resources. Proactively educating all school staff (not just classroom teachers!) is crucial because, otherwise, educators may not consider the needs of trans and nonbinary students until faced with their first out student.
Action steps:
- Educators: Complete personal self-assessments to better understand possible areas for learning or growth. (See resource box.)
- School leaders: Complete school self-assessments to better understand a school climate. (See resource box.)
- District leaders: Bring in external trainers to offer staff professional development and answer any questions.
2. Affirm transgender and nonbinary students.
69传媒 must foster both affirming policies and affirming practices. The former鈥攕chool handbooks, district policies, state and federal laws and guidelines, etc.鈥攕hould cover nondiscrimination, privacy, confidentiality, dress code, gym class, and more.
However, simply having affirming policies on the books is not enough. Are those policies actually being implemented and followed? This is where the rubber meets the road.
But even if local or state policies aren鈥檛 yet affirming鈥攅ven if they are actively harmful鈥攅ducators must make it clear that they personally support all their students, including those who are trans or nonbinary.
Action steps:
- Educators: Ensure that all students in class are respected, period. This may be challenging for educators whose speech is restricted, but teachers can still call students by their last name to avoid using a gendered first name or ask questions to prompt student reflection about topics that teachers may be banned from teaching directly.
- School leaders: Review the school鈥檚 mission/vision statements for language that can be used to support trans and nonbinary students. For example, a principal might stress that this is a school that welcomes all learners.
- District leaders: Connect and collaborate with leaders in other districts to build a community of learning and support.
3. Include positive transgender and nonbinary representation.
If 鈥渁ffirm鈥� is about supporting individual students, 鈥渋nclude鈥� is about representing transgender and nonbinary identities in an education community鈥檚 culture, values, curriculum, internal and external communication, and more. Remember to represent student communities with overlapping identities and diverse life experiences. Some people may incorrectly assume that a student can either be transgender or a person of color, transgender or have a disability, transgender or an immigrant, but not both.
Action steps:
- Educators: Examine existing district and state curriculum and standards to determine where trans and nonbinary identities could be included and represented.
- School leaders: Review school marketing and communication copy to ensure inclusion of trans and nonbinary images and families.
- District leaders: Evaluate inclusive health and sex education curriculum to ensure curriculum and instructional materials provided to teachers are exemplary. If there are anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions on what material is allowed, brainstorm with other district leaders on what external resources or organizations are available.
4. Disrupt harmful actions.
Whether it鈥檚 at an individual, institutional, or societal level, educators can always disrupt harm and attempt to steer things back toward education, affirmation, and inclusion.
Remember: Educators don鈥檛 need to be an expert to speak up in support of trans students! A teacher or school leader can still disrupt a bullying situation by saying, 鈥淚n this school, we don鈥檛 call someone something they don鈥檛 want to be called.鈥� Likewise, anyone can disrupt legislative attempts to harm trans and nonbinary students by writing a letter to the editor in a local newspaper or calling an elected official to say, 鈥淒iscriminatory legislation has no place in our community.鈥�
District leaders can also disrupt political bullying by refusing to share biased content. this past November when they chose to defy the state鈥檚 superintendent, Ryan Walters, when he demanded that teachers share a controversial video in their classrooms.
Action steps:
- Everyone: Attend and speak at public hearings (city council, school board, state legislative hearings, etc.) to demonstrate public support for trans and nonbinary students.
- Educators: Learn about your and reach out to encourage them to support trans rights.
- School leaders: Become familiar with local and state LGBTQ or trans-specific organizations to develop a list of external resources to reach out to for guidance and assistance.
- District leaders: Collaborate with other leaders in the state to push for positive, supportive legislation.
No matter where you are or what your role is, there are ways to support trans and nonbinary students鈥攅ven when it鈥檚 scary, even when it鈥檚 difficult, even when it鈥檚 against the law. And while no one can do everything, everyone can do something. An increasing number of students are identifying as trans and nonbinary in our schools, and they need a growing number of educators ready to meet the challenges of the current political climate. We hope you鈥檒l join us.
Below is further reading to help educators support transgender and nonbinary students, including books, research and data, curriculum resources, professional development, model policies, self-assessments, and more.
For anyone wanting to learn more
Books
- by Vanessa Ford and Rebecca Kling
- by Kryss Shane
- by Diane Ehrensaft
- by Julian Gill-Peterson
- by Michael Sadowski
- by Finn V. Gratton
Organizations
- (A4TE)
Other
For teachers and staff
Resources specifically for educators
- (GLSEN and InterACT)
- (University of Colorado Boulder)
Sample curriculum resources
- HRC Foundation鈥檚
Courses and professional development for educators
- by Bex Mui
- (though now closed, this website still contains resources for educators)
For school leaders and administrators
Research and data
- (GLSEN)
School assessments
- 骋尝厂贰狈鈥檚
For district leaders and administrators
Model policies, assessments, and guidelines for school districts
Professional association policy positions and best practices
Other government docs and resources
- (DOE Rule, 2022)
