Guest Blog Post: Creating Safe and Affirming Spaces for Transgender Students
This
guest blog post comes from Nathan Smith, Director of Public Policy at GLSEN.
We have
recently witnessed an uptick in conversation and attention on how to best serve
transgender students in schools. This past legislative cycle, many states
considered legislation specifically addressing the issue, and North Carolina
passed a highly controversial law requiring that transgender students use
school facilities that correspond with their sex assigned at birth. These
legislative proposals arose in a national landscape in which 13 states and the
District of Columbia had, over the years, passed nondiscrimination laws
protecting transgender students on the state level.
Adding to
the conversation, the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ)
recently released joint
guidance and an accompanying emerging
practices document stating that transgender students are protected under
Title IX (a position currently being challenged in a lawsuit involving 14
states) and highlighting some practices on serving transgender students
currently employed by districts across the country, in some cases for many
years.
At GLSEN, we want every student, in every school,
to be valued and treated with respect, regardless of their sexual orientation,
gender identity or gender expression. We believe that all students deserve a
safe and affirming school environment where they can learn and grow. We conduct
extensive research (including our biennial National School Climate Survey),
author age-appropriate resources, partner with dozens of national education
organizations on policy advocacy and empower students to affect change. GLSEN
has developed resources for school leaders who are looking to learn more about
the experience of transgender students and seeking evidence-based tools to
improve it. Specifically, we have developed:
A Model
District Policy on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students, which
was created in conjunction with the National Center for Transgender Equality
and comports to ED and DOJ’s recent Title IX guidance on transgender students.
Notably, in addition to model policy language, the document includes extensive
commentary to help school leaders better understand the scope of the issue and
a comprehensive list of resources, including sample model policies published by
school systems, state and federal guidance, and research and reports;
GLSEN’s Safe
Space Kit, available in both English and Spanish. The Safe Space Kit is
designed to help educators assess their school’s climate and policies and
practices, as well as to provide tools and strategies to create change, such as
stickers and posters for display in the classroom;
GLSEN’s Ready, Set, Respect!
Elementary Toolkit, developed in partnership with the National Association of
Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This kit provides tools to help elementary
educators teach about the importance of respect for all. It focuses on
name-calling, bullying and bias, and diversity;
An extensive Chapter network, currently comprised
of 40 Chapters across the country and made up of students, educators, parents
and community members who volunteer to bring GLSEN’s programs, support and
expertise to their specific communities.
As school
leaders and educators work to create safe and affirming spaces for all
students, GLSEN stands ready to help, both through the resources listed above,
direct support and professional development from GLSEN staff and Chapters.