Blog Post #1: Understanding Gender Diversity!














Wamsley, L. (2021, June 2). A guide to gender identity terms. NPR. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq 

In first grade, I had a friend who had two moms. To me, this was the coolest thing ever... I love my mom, so why not have two? But for my friend, this was far from cool. This was the reason that many kids were not allowed to go to his house. A year later, he and his moms moved across the country and we never spoke again. I really hope their new location was much more accepting. Aside from this family, I never had the opportunity of discussing the LGBTQ community in my childhood. I know this is a shared experience among my peers. But why does this matter?

As future teachers, we must create an inclusive, safe classroom for all of our students. However, many of us can be unsure as to what is welcoming and what is not. Therefore, education about various LGBTQ topics is necessary. Without education, we are blatantly ignorant. When we are ignorant, horrible consequences occur.

This is not a hypothetical scenario. Violence is a constant threat. 

Take Matthew Shepard, the victim of a hateful murder in the town of Laramie, Wyoming. As portrayed in the film The Laramie Project (Kaufman, 2002), Shepard was harassed, beaten, and killed by two men in his town as an act of violent homophobia. Many people living in Laramie at this time were not different in the beliefs of the murderers. Homophobia ran rampant and was often a central belief in the town. The fact that a community can be so hateful that it creates murderers is appalling and disgusting. While Shepard's death occurred over 20 years ago, it is not the only example of a hate crime against the LGBTQ community. In 2016, 49 people were shot and killed at an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, while 53 more were wounded (Zambelich & Hurt, 2016). Less than 3 months ago, on November 19, 2022, there was a mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs in which 5 people were killed and many were wounded (Slevin, 2022).

Violence from others is not the only threat the LGBTQ community faces every day. When LGBTQ youth do not feel comfortable in school, their mental health is at risk. According to The Trevor Project, "LGBTQ youth who found their school to be LGBTQ-affirming reported lower rates of attempting suicide" (2022). Creating a welcoming environment for all students is a necessity to ensure we keep LGBTQ youth safe. We can do this by discussing the needs of our students with the students themselves and employing policies that prohibit anti-LGBTQ language and bullying (Langreo, 2023). Harassment is not only apparent in the LGBTQ community. Students of color are consistently targeted as well. In fact, LGBTQ youth of color are more susceptible to mental health issues and suicide attempts than white LGBTQ youth (The Trevor Project, 2022).

Something as simple as sharing our pronouns with our students makes for a more inclusive learning environment. However, something I was recently reminded of by the article from the American Psychological Association is that everyone is unique and has their own timeline in life (2021). We cannot assume that every student is comfortable in sharing their pronouns in the classroom, at home, or anywhere else. Being understanding and welcoming to all is the only way to ensure we are being the best teachers we can be.  

References

Kaufman, M. (Director). (2002). The laramie project [film]. Good Machine, HBO Films.

Langreo, L. (2023, January 4). Most LGBTQ youth can't access mental health care. how schools can help. Education Week. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/most-lgbtq-youth-cant-access-mental-health-care-how-schools-can-help/2023/01 

Slevin, C. (2022, December 7). Colorado gay club shooting suspect charged with hate crimes. AP NEWS. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-colorado-hate-crimes-springs-b9be567920a55986c57af59535ac9f61 

Students Exploring Gender Identity (2021, October). American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/ed/schools/primer/gender-identity

The Trevor Project. 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/

Zambelich, A., & Hurt, A. (2016, June 26). 3 hours in Orlando: Piecing together an attack and its aftermath. NPR. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2016/06/16/482322488/orlando-shooting-what-happened-update 





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