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What should educators do in the face of political and legislative bullying that targets their students?
As one of his first actions upon returning to office, President Trump issued an executive order revoking protections for LGBTQ+ students, with more anti-trans attacks likely to come. Meanwhile, the number of anti-transgender bills introduced across the United States has risen dramatically over the past decade. These bills attempt to censor teachers, block transgender and nonbinary students from using restrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity, ban transgender student athletes from participating in sports, and deny transgender youth access to necessary health care.
Even when these legislative or policy attacks don’t go into effect, simply introducing anti-trans legislation harms the mental health of LGBTQ youth. Researchers also recently identified a causal link between anti-trans legislation and suicide attempts: Trans and nonbinary youth in states that have passed these laws are an estimated 7 to 72 percent more likely to attempt suicide, according to researchers, who found significant variation across different time periods and age ranges of participants.
As a trans advocate and author, and a former classroom teacher and the parent of a trans youth, both of us know that most educators want to support their trans and nonbinary students. To those ready to begin or continue this work, we offer the following principles: educate, affirm, include, and disrupt.
Action steps:
However, simply having affirming policies on the books is not enough. Are those policies actually being implemented and followed? This is where the rubber meets the road.
But even if local or state policies aren’t yet affirming—even if they are actively harmful—educators must make it clear that they personally support all their students, including those who are trans or nonbinary.
Action steps:
Action steps:
Remember: Educators don’t need to be an expert to speak up in support of trans students! A teacher or school leader can still disrupt a bullying situation by saying, “In this school, we don’t call someone something they don’t want to be called.” Likewise, anyone can disrupt legislative attempts to harm trans and nonbinary students by writing a letter to the editor in a local newspaper or calling an elected official to say, “Discriminatory legislation has no place in our community.”
District leaders can also disrupt political bullying by refusing to share biased content. Multiple Oklahoma school districts took this approach this past November when they chose to defy the state’s superintendent, Ryan Walters, when he demanded that teachers share a controversial video in their classrooms.
Action steps:
No matter where you are or what your role is, there are ways to support trans and nonbinary students—even when it’s scary, even when it’s difficult, even when it’s against the law. And while no one can do everything, everyone can do something. An increasing number of students are identifying as trans and nonbinary in our schools, and they need a growing number of educators ready to meet the challenges of the current political climate. We hope you’ll join us.
What should educators do in the face of political and legislative bullying that targets their students?
As one of his first actions upon returning to office, President Trump issued an executive order revoking protections for LGBTQ+ students, with more anti-trans attacks likely to come. Meanwhile, the number of anti-transgender bills introduced across the United States has risen dramatically over the past decade. These bills attempt to censor teachers, block transgender and nonbinary students from using restrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity, ban transgender student athletes from participating in sports, and deny transgender youth access to necessary health care.
Even when these legislative or policy attacks don’t go into effect, simply introducing anti-trans legislation harms the mental health of LGBTQ youth. Researchers also recently identified a causal link between anti-trans legislation and suicide attempts: Trans and nonbinary youth in states that have passed these laws are an estimated 7 to 72 percent more likely to attempt suicide, according to researchers, who found significant variation across different time periods and age ranges of participants.
As a trans advocate and author, and a former classroom teacher and the parent of a trans youth, both of us know that most educators want to support their trans and nonbinary students. To those ready to begin or continue this work, we offer the following principles: educate, affirm, include, and disrupt.
1. Educate teachers and staff.
Trans and nonbinary students deserve educators and school staff who are familiar with their needs and know where to turn for more resources. Proactively educating all school staff (not just classroom teachers!) is crucial because, otherwise, educators may not consider the needs of trans and nonbinary students until faced with their first out student.Action steps:
- Educators: Complete personal self-assessments to better understand possible areas for learning or growth. (See resource box.)
- School leaders: Complete school self-assessments to better understand a school climate. (See resource box.)
- District leaders: Bring in external trainers to offer staff professional development and answer any questions.
2. Affirm transgender and nonbinary students.
Schools must foster both affirming policies and affirming practices. The former—school handbooks, district policies, state and federal laws and guidelines, etc.—should cover nondiscrimination, privacy, confidentiality, dress code, gym class, and more.However, simply having affirming policies on the books is not enough. Are those policies actually being implemented and followed? This is where the rubber meets the road.
But even if local or state policies aren’t yet affirming—even if they are actively harmful—educators must make it clear that they personally support all their students, including those who are trans or nonbinary.
Action steps:
- Educators: Ensure that all students in class are respected, period. This may be challenging for educators whose speech is restricted, but teachers can still call students by their last name to avoid using a gendered first name or ask questions to prompt student reflection about topics that teachers may be banned from teaching directly.
- School leaders: Review the school’s mission/vision statements for language that can be used to support trans and nonbinary students. For example, a principal might stress that this is a school that welcomes all learners.
- District leaders: Connect and collaborate with leaders in other districts to build a community of learning and support.
3. Include positive transgender and nonbinary representation.
If “affirm” is about supporting individual students, “include” is about representing transgender and nonbinary identities in an education community’s culture, values, curriculum, internal and external communication, and more. Remember to represent student communities with overlapping identities and diverse life experiences. Some people may incorrectly assume that a student can either be transgender or a person of color, transgender or have a disability, transgender or an immigrant, but not both.Action steps:
- Educators: Examine existing district and state curriculum and standards to determine where trans and nonbinary identities could be included and represented.
- School leaders: Review school marketing and communication copy to ensure inclusion of trans and nonbinary images and families.
- District leaders: Evaluate inclusive health and sex education curriculum to ensure curriculum and instructional materials provided to teachers are exemplary. If there are anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions on what material is allowed, brainstorm with other district leaders on what external resources or organizations are available.
4. Disrupt harmful actions.
Whether it’s at an individual, institutional, or societal level, educators can always disrupt harm and attempt to steer things back toward education, affirmation, and inclusion.Remember: Educators don’t need to be an expert to speak up in support of trans students! A teacher or school leader can still disrupt a bullying situation by saying, “In this school, we don’t call someone something they don’t want to be called.” Likewise, anyone can disrupt legislative attempts to harm trans and nonbinary students by writing a letter to the editor in a local newspaper or calling an elected official to say, “Discriminatory legislation has no place in our community.”
District leaders can also disrupt political bullying by refusing to share biased content. Multiple Oklahoma school districts took this approach this past November when they chose to defy the state’s superintendent, Ryan Walters, when he demanded that teachers share a controversial video in their classrooms.
Action steps:
- Everyone: Attend and speak at public hearings (city council, school board, state legislative hearings, etc.) to demonstrate public support for trans and nonbinary students.
- Educators: Learn about your elected officials and reach out to encourage them to support trans rights.
- School leaders: Become familiar with local and state LGBTQ or trans-specific organizations to develop a list of external resources to reach out to for guidance and assistance.
- District leaders: Collaborate with other leaders in the state to push for positive, supportive legislation.
No matter where you are or what your role is, there are ways to support trans and nonbinary students—even when it’s scary, even when it’s difficult, even when it’s against the law. And while no one can do everything, everyone can do something. An increasing number of students are identifying as trans and nonbinary in our schools, and they need a growing number of educators ready to meet the challenges of the current political climate. We hope you’ll join us.
