Supporting LGBTQ+ Students

1. INTRODUCTION
Think of a transition in your life which has made you
feel, or seem, like “a whole n’other person” Using the
T-chart, or the back of the page to journal, write about
this experience, reflecting on each version of yourself.
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Adapted from “Trans Allyship Workbook” by Davey Shlasko

2. SUPPORTING
LGBTQ+
STUDENTS

4. KNOW THE
ISSUES
CHOOSE ONE TO DISCUSS WITH A
PARTNER:
❏ Have you seen examples of anti-LGBTQ
name-calling, bullying, or harassment
at our school?
❏ How are students affected by anti-LGBTQ
bias or assumptions at our school?
❏ Did you see anti-LGBTQ bias,
name-calling, bullying, or harassment at
your own school? How did your
teachers handle it?
Adapted from GLSEN’s Safe Space Training Series
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5. 2017 National School Climate
Survey
❏ Biennial survey first conducted in
1999
❏ Documents the experiences of
LGBTQ+ students in U.S. schools
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Adapted from GLSEN’s Safe Space Training Series

6. 6
Adapted from GLSEN’s Safe Space Training Series

7. KNOW THE
ISSUES
Each episode of
LGBT
victimization, such
as physical or
verbal harassment
or abuse,
increases the
likelihood of
self-harming
behavior by 2.5x,
on average.
LGB youth
seriously
contemplate
suicide at
almost 3x the rate
of heterosexual
youth, and are
almost 5x as
likely to have
attempted
suicide.
In a national study,
40% of
transgender
adults reported
having made a
suicide attempt.
92% of these
individuals
attempted
suicide
before the
age of 25.
7Source: The Trevor Project “Facts About Suicide”

8. DOE
SPECIFIC
STUFF
❏ The new “Name and Gender Change
Request Form” allows students to
change their ATS name and gender in
ATS
Please, refer to students’ change as their
CHOSEN NAME and CHOSEN GENDER
PRONOUN. Previously, we called this
“Preferred Name” or “Preferred Pronoun.”
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9. PRONOUNS:
THE BASICS
When referring to transitioning kids:
What gender did they used to be?
✔ What sex were they assigned at birth? ✔
*ONLY for use if you need to pull up old records… do not ask a child this please*
When checking in with a student:
Do you use he or she?
✔ What pronouns do you use? ✔
Please don’t assume students’ pronouns,
and correct yourself if you accidentally
misgender! 9

10. PRONOUNS:
THE BASICS
What does that sound like?
Teacher: Jesus, can you move next to
her?
Jesus: Ms. T, Lin is a he.
Teacher: Sorry, Jesus can you move next
to him.
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11. PRONOUNS:
THE BASICS
What does that sound like?
Teacher 1: His work has actually been
declining recently.
Teacher 2: Kim actually uses she.
Teacher 1: Oh, sorry, her work has been
declining recently.
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12. WHAT DO I
DO IF A
STUDENT
COMES OUT
TO ME?
❏ Listen.
Adapted from GLSEN’s Safe Space Training Series
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13. REFLECTION
How can you begin to bring some of these
concepts and understandings into your
classroom?
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14. HOW CAN I
HELP?
Stop Bullying
and
Discrimination!
Listen
Report
Follow-up
*if there are kids
that you KNOW
struggled last
year… please let
the next grade
team know so
they can be
supported!*
Increase
Visibility!
Consider
integrating
LGBTQ history
or biography
into your
curriculum
Educate!
Attend one of our
upcoming Safe Space
Trainings during CPT
time
Download the Teaching
Tolerance “Best
Practices for Serving
LGBTQ Students” guide
Browse our school
library for
fiction/non-fiction titles
related to LGBTQ+ issues
-- and join the faculty
book club!
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