At P.S. ARTS, teaching for all learners is at the center of our approach to education. That’s why this Pride Month, we’ve asked our phenomenal Educator Development team to share their favorite resources for teachers who want to engage and support their LGBTQIA+ students.
WEBSITES
HRC’s Welcoming Schools site is an excellent source with book lists, free lesson plans and more.
Gender Justice LA: Rooted in the unique social justice landscape of Los Angeles, GJLA envisions a safe and just society for all transgender and gender non-conforming people. Recognizing the mutual dependence of racial, economic, and gender-based liberation, they are committed to working from an intersectional lens, and to centering the needs of low income, transgender people of color. These needs include access to quality, respectful, and affordable health care; freedom from bigotry, harassment, and violence; opportunities for education, employment, and leadership; safe spaces for enhancing spiritual, physical, and social wellness; and the right to self-determination.
It Gets Better Project: Since 2010, LGBTQ+ people and their allies all over the world uttered three words that would give rise to a global movement — it gets better. What started as a wildly successful social media campaign has turned into a global non-profit that reaches millions of young people each year through inspiring storytelling, educational resources, international affiliates, and access to an arsenal of community-based service providers.
BOOKS
“Safe is Not Enough:” Safe Is Not Enough illustrates how educators can support the positive development of LGBTQ students in a comprehensive way so as to create truly inclusive school communities. Using examples from classrooms, schools, and districts across the country, Michael Sadowski identifies emerging practices such as creating an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum; fostering a whole-school climate that is supportive of LGBTQ students; providing adults who can act as mentors and role models; and initiating effective family and community outreach programs.
“The Educator’s Guide to LGBT+ Inclusion: A Practical Resource for K-12 Teachers, Administrators, and School Support Staff:” The rates of bullying, truancy due to lack of safety in schools, and subsequent suicidality for LGBT+ youth are exponentially higher than for non-LGBT+ youth. As a result, many American K-12 students are suffering needlessly and many school leaders are unsure of what to do. This book solves that problem. Setting out best practices and professional guidance for creating LGBT+ inclusive learning in schools, this approachable and easy-to-follow book guides teachers, educators, administrators, and school staff toward appropriate and proven ways to create safer learning environments, update school policies, enhance curricula, and better support LGBT+ youth as they learn.
TRAININGS
Trans Affirming Training & Consulting (TATC)
Trans Affirming Training & Consulting (TATC) is a trans-owned private consulting firm co-founded by Dr. Eli Green & Kelsey Van Nice. TATC provides a range of customized training and consulting options to help organizations meet their trans-inclusion goals. One of TATC’s primary goals as educators is to help break down the density of trans and gender-related topics into digestible pieces. Learn more at https://www.transaffirming.co/.
