Emily Meadows

Spurningar og svör frá Sli.Do

How much emphasis do we need to put on education and class discussion when a trans student isn't experiencing any prejudice and really doesn't want to be the centre of attention?

It’s a good idea to take into consideration the feelings of trans students when doing any education or discussion around topics related to trans people. Many students (of all identities!) do not want to be the centre of attention for a lesson, and do not want to be put into the position of serving as a representative of a category. Also, consider that we will not always know which students are transgender, so we can be sensitive even if we aren’t aware of a trans student in the class. 

That said, education on diverse identities can (and should) be done without spotlighting a particular student. Indeed, understanding gender and respect for others is something that can benefit all children at different stages of development. For example, even very young children already know many gender stereotypes (i.e. girls wear pink, boys play football), even if they are not familiar with that term. And, they tend to have a strong belief in fairness. So, an activity about gender stereotypes and how they may be unfair (i.e. Should girls be able to play football? Should boys be able to wear pink?) is a way to both build inclusion for transgender children without naming anybody as trans, and also carries the benefit of reducing pressure on all students to conform to restrictive stereotypes. 

LGBTQ+ inclusive education also benefits students who may not be LGBTQ+ themselves, but have someone they are close to who is LGBTQ+, such as a family member. This normalizes their loved one’s experience, rather than isolating that child by making them feel as if being LGBTQ+ is somehow rare or unusual. It also prepares all students to be active community members in a world where they are very likely to collaborate with LGBTQ+ people in the future. 

The degree of emphasis you place on inclusive education, therefore, is less about whether there is a transgender student in the class, and more about the developmental stage of the children you teach, the subject matter your curriculum covers, and the values of the school. 

What are some ways to let lgbtq students feel that they are safe and seen in your classroom?  (edited)

The message behind this question is heartwarming. Knowing that LGBTQ+ students are being particularly targeted around the world, it can make a big difference when a teacher shows that they are supportive. 

I mentioned in the presentation that displaying visual signs of inclusion is a quick way to let students know that you want them to feel safe and seen in your classroom. If you’re looking for ideas, you can find my multilingual You Belong Here poster collection here, which is free to download and print. LGBTQ+ students will often notice even small signs of support, such as a sticker on your laptop, a rainbow lanyard, or a particular book on your desk because they are looking for ways to know whether the room is safe for them, so adding a bit of visual support can go a long way. 

Another effective way to cultivate LGBTQ+ safety is to incorporate LGBTQ+ people and themes into your curriculum. This does not always mean teaching a lesson specifically about the LGBTQ acronym, but perhaps in a lesson about media literacy you might mention that there are lots of myths about LGBTQ+ people online, and teach them how to check sources before believing these. Or, perhaps you give a lesson about human rights and mention successful LGBTQ+ activist movements. Many educators, even those who aren’t teaching the humanities specifically, involve a human element in their curriculum because this is how students can see the way it relates to them. The art of inclusion is making sure that LGBTQ+ people are represented as a normal and valid part of the human experience. 

The good news is that there are lots of ways to build safety and support for LGBTQ+ students. I give additional ideas in my responses to the other questions here, have resources on my website, recently published a detailed article on this topic, and am happy to share additional information upon request. 

When I’m on campus as a consultant, I always ask to meet with LGBTQ+ student groups. A common theme across all of these groups is that they seem very tuned in to which teachers are making an effort to create a space of safety and belonging. These teachers rarely know all of the specific terminology that young people are using to talk about gender and sexual identity, and they aren’t necessarily experts in LGBTQ+ literature, art, history, etc. But they are teachers who make a point to notice the experience of their students, to interrupt harm, to challenge bias, to demonstrate openness to learning about LGBTQ+ perspectives, to build inclusive lessons into their curriculum, and to be present when students request support. Students light up when they talk about these special teachers, and anybody has the potential to become one. 

How can we respond to the increase in hate speech against LGBTQ+ students within the school itself?

This is a great question because I hear from many educators that they are seeing a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ speech, but aren’t quite sure how, or even when to intervene. The reality for many teachers is that their days are already very full, so an anti-LGBTQ+ comment in the hallway may be easy to overlook, especially if they have not had any training on effective intervention. However, I do recommend responding in all cases because a comment left unchecked sends a message that it’s acceptable. 

The response to anti-LGBTQ+ speech and actions will vary depending on many factors: the age of the student making it, the number of times they’ve already been involved in a similar incident, and the degree of harm caused. For example, a six year old student trying an anti-LGBTQ+ slur that they heard at home will invoke a very different response than a sixteen year old student shouting the same slur repeatedly and targeting it at another student. Sometimes the person causing harm will not even understand the impact of their words or actions. An effective teacher response may range anywhere from education to formal discipline but, in all cases, it should be recorded so that the school can keep track of patterns. 

If the school does not already have an identity-based harm policy, implementing one provides a solid foundation. Such a policy communicates to all members of the school community that targeting someone on the basis of identity is, indeed, harmful, and is taken seriously as part of child safeguarding. The policy should be paired with a framework for determining consequences for students who cause identity-based harm. 

In addition, consider offering a mechanism for school community members to report identity-based harm. If you already have a safeguarding reporting channel, this could be incorporated here. This communicates that the school sees identity-based harm as part of the safeguarding priorities and provides a way for people experiencing or witnessing the harm to report it to a trusted source. 

Finally, I recommend not only training staff members on effective means of intervention, but offering training for students as well. It is more often that they will be the ones hearing the hate speech than teachers, so giving students themselves the tools to respond (i.e. by reporting it, by interrupting it, or asking others for help) is another important facet of making the whole school safer for everyone.

How can we best support the students who are LGBTQ but don't get support from their parents/families?

This is a valuable question because we know that not all students will be supported at home. And, as you’ll remember from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model, school can be one of the most impactful sources of support for LGBTQ+ children. That said, school support looks different from family support, so the goal is never to replace the parents or family but, rather, to provide strong support from the school angle. 

In addition to the recommended support strategies in the presentation and listed above, such as displaying visual signs of inclusion and incorporating LGBTQ+ themes and people in the curriculum, it is also important to maintain student privacy. For some LGBTQ+ students, they are only out at school, meaning that they have not disclosed their identity beyond campus. Even if a student is out at school, it should be their decision if/when/how to disclose this aspect of their identity to their family, never the decision of school staff. Disclosing an LGBTQ+ identity without consent is called ‘outing’, and it is considered harmful. 

Following these recommendations is much easier when there is a clear policy in place protecting student privacy, as well as protocols for how this information is shared, if at all. Further, I recommend that trained school staff use a gender support plan with transgender students in certain cases, to agree upon their support structure. (Please feel free to contact me if you’d like more information about policy and gender support plan development.) 

If a student is out with their family, but not receiving support at home, in some cases it can be beneficial for the school to act as a sort of bridge. Trusted members of the school community can be helpful as parents and caregivers are learning about their child and how to show up for them in new ways. For example, the school may provide educational resources to the family, or connect them to support groups to process their experience in a place that does not harm their child. The goal is never to be in competition with parents, but to cultivate as many sources of support as possible for the student.

——

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this conference! I’m so pleased to be able to interact through your questions, and thank you for submitting them. If you have follow-up questions, or would like additional resources or trainings, please do not hesitate to email me at emilymeadows@gmail.com