SUPPO R T I NG T R ANS G END ER & G END ER N O N CO N FO RM I N G S TU D E N TS
discuss experiences that those students can
relate to. Ask students how many of them
have felt uncomfortable with anti-LGBT lan-
guage but did not know what to do. Ask
who stood up and who regrets not stand-
ing up. Ask how the situation would feel if
a close friend was the target of the harass-
ment. To do this, teachers need to have
clear language they can use and clear sup-
port from their administration that when
parents push back, the school will stand be-
hind its teachers in their support of the right
of all students to a safe learning community.
“We also have to
remember that this is
ongoing work, not just a
checklist to be completed.
By keeping in tune with
these and other emerging
issues, we continue to
make our schools safer for
all students...”
We also have to remember that this is ongo-
ing work, not just a checklist to be complet-
ed. By keeping in tune with these and other
emerging issues, we continue to make our
schools safer for all students which, in turn,
promote learning and achievement. l
receiving end of homophobic slurs from
peers and adults who do not even know
or understand the difference), that is not
enough. You have to engage the students
in conversation, use real life scenarios, and
Additional Resources:
•
•
•
Human Rights Campaign’s Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender
Students in K-12 Schools. https://www.hrc.org/resources/schools-in-transition-a-
guide-for-supporting-transgender-students-in-k-12-s
Lambda Legal’s How Schools Can Support Transgender Students. https://www.lamb-
dalegal.org/know-your-rights/article/youth-tgnc-friendly-schools
GLSEN’s Support Safe Schools & Trans Youth. https://www.glsen.org/safeschools
Jay Briar is the Middle School Head at Sheridan School in Washington, DC where he has also
taught history and math for the past 12 years. A graduate of Vassar College, he holds his master’s
degree in Educational Leadership from George Washington University and is a National Board
certified teacher. A progressive educator with strong roots in social justice education, Jay focuses
on forming authentic partnerships between families and schools and collaborative leadership.
CSEE Connections
Summer 2019
Page 17