Promoting LGBTQ Inclusion in Educational Environments

 To be honest, I've been putting off writing this specific post for a few weeks. Essentially, though, it's the reason I started this advocacy project. When I started researching about bullying of LGBTQ students, I was astounded by the statistics. The following includes the mentioning of suicide and suicide ideation. Although I've mentioned suicide in previous articles to prove the necessity for LGBTQ inclusion in educational environments, this entire post focuses on the subject. If that is triggering, skip this week's post. It's going to be intense, but it'll end with hope. Here are the facts.  Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 ( NIMH, 2021 ). A disproportionate amount of those suicides are from LGBTQ youth. In 2016, of all U.S. students, 17.7% contemplated suicide; 14.8% were heterosexual, 42.8% were LGB, and 31.9% were not sure of their sexuality or gender ( CDC, 2016 ). Although we cannot count the 31.9% of students wh...

All aboard, Last week I attended the Human Rights Campaign 's virtual workshop, ' Time to Thrive ', which focused on LGBTQ inclusion in educational environments. There were incredible moments, like when GLSEN led a panel on creating active and sustainable GSA's (which was largely facilitated by LGBTQ high school students), and how dissecting the Bostock Supreme Court Case gives implications to legal rights of LGBTQ youth in K-12 public schools. The panel I was most fascinated with, however, was the "Responding to Resistance" presentation. I was glued to Michele Hatchell's powerful stories and strategies. Hatchell works for ' Welcoming Schools ', a program created by the HRC to create inclusive educational environments. Yes! There are character-based programs that schools can purchase and utilize that work to address LGBTQ inclusion, including school-based and district-based training programs, diverse lesson plans, up-to-date diverse children and ...

Before we go on, let's celebrate some wins Although there is plenty of work to do, recognizing wins is an important part of the journey. Reflecting on wins helps sharpen a focus on future achievements. Recently, there has been major progress to end workplace discrimination against LGBTQ workers in educational environments. Cases in point, the U.S. Supreme Court decision on June 15, 2020 regarding Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga., No 17-1618, Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda, No. 17-1623, and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, No. 18-107 ( Liptak, 2020 ). The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of LGBTQ rights in a 6-to-3 ruling. The justices' decision focused on the interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and sex– sex decidedly including the meaning of sexual identity, gender expression, and gender identity ( Liptak, 2020 ). In the...

  Setting the scene: A teacher I know told me a story recently about her lanyard. She grew up in a conservative area and was married with children. She was “in the club”. Then, she fell in love with a woman. She got kicked out of “the club”. She moved to another area and became a substitute teacher. While substituting, she noticed a teacher had a rainbow lanyard with the words “ALLY”, and quietly asked about it. She knew there was a policy protecting LGBTQ faculty in that school district, but wearing a rainbow lanyard was different. It was an outward expression of inclusion and support. She learned another faculty member had started the rainbow lanyard initiative to let LGBTQ youth know if a teacher was “safe” to talk to. Now, my teacher friend has stopped substituting, and started teaching full time in that school district. Every day she puts the lanyard on as a signal to those who may need it. Image source: Amazon . Another LGBTQ teacher friend of mine warned me of the “loud and ...

Our end goal is to create a more LGBTQ inclusive educational environment. This vision includes stopping bullying, harassment, and discrimination of LGBTQ students and faculty. However, the road map towards this vision contains a few stops and calls to action along the way.  Whether you're a parent of a LGBTQ child, LGBTQ student/faculty member/parent/ally, or a concerned individual, you are our stakeholders. You understand our core value of equality and inclusivity, and are rooted in the principles of fairness, integrity, and human dignity. Already we've called upon you to enact inclusive school district policies and add LGBTQ inclusive literature in the classroom. And trust us, there's a whole lot more coming your way! But, we realize this is a group effort. In the spirit of internalizing our habits to empower people to create a variety of practices that tackle problems, we want to invite YOU to share ideas! Comment below! What are actions our stakeholders can take to crea...

 Backstory When I was seven, I watched television with my mom all the time. It was a ritual that seemed spiritual. It helped me understand the world through her perspective as she would comment on characters and plot lines. 'My So-Called Life' starring Claire Danes featured the first gay person I ever remembered. Wilson Cruz played Rickie Vasques, the best friend. I knew I connected to his character, but at seven years old I didn't quite understand how. Nonetheless, I paid careful attention to what my mom thought about him. Was she bothered that he wore earrings? Did she think his voice was annoying? Did she see him as a human deserving of love? All of this swirled in my head as I watched videos of Rickie like the one below- (boy's got some dance moves!) Media's portrayals of LGBTQ characters played an important part in shaping how I understood the LGBTQ community as a young gay boy. Never did I read about a gay character until my thirties when I read the young adul...