Blog 1- Gender Diversity and Acceptance

 

Creating and Promoting Classrooms as Safe Spaces for Students

[untitled online image of positive words for safe classrooms]. (2018). Pintrest. https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/462181980516911048/

I have expanded my knowledge greatly this week reading, watching and listening to all of these different experiences and prospective from and about people in the LGBTQ+ community. It is so important as educators to be the people that welcome and accept everyone whether they are a different race, use different pronouns, love different types of people or are disabled. Educators are the people who should create this type of environment. Especially for those students who can not show their true self at home or in other places. 

After reading and looking at all the materials in this weeks modules, it is extremely saddening to know that so many people, especially children are having thoughts of self-harm, not being able to get proper help for their mental state and not feeling accepted because of who they are. No one should ever feel that way and it is terrible that children are feeling so lonely at such young ages. In my classroom I want to implement check-ins every couple of weeks with my students so we can talk about how they are feeling, how they are doing with the school work or anything that they want to discuss. Having this option for students to discuss anything can be a good way for students to really express if they are going through anything or say things that they would not want to tell their parents. The lack of these resources really shows in recent statistics.

There are so many devastating statistics that the Trevor Project found in 2022, through a survey on LGBTQ youth. One statistic states,” 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year”(Trevor Project, 2022). Another reports that, “ 60% of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it”(Trevor Project, 2022). One last statistic from this survey states that,” 36% if LGBTQ youth have been physically threatened or harmed due to their sexual orientation or gender identity”(Trevor Project, 2022). This directly relates to the documentary for this weeks module regarding the kidnapping, robbing and murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming(Laramie Project, 2012). This film was very moving and very much showed the great amount of hate that some have for people that are different then them. It is terrible that people are killed but it is even more devasting when a person was killed because they were not afraid to be who they wanted to be without having to hide. And it is even more devastating that youth in our country are being threatened and harmed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. A straight man would not be murdered for being a straight man, so why should a gay man be killed? Although this documentary was very sad to watch, it is a very impactful documentary that leaves you feeling hopeful that people can change and be more accepting. 

There are many different ways to create inclusivity and acceptance in classrooms including “model gender inclusive language and behavior”(Students Exploring Gender Identity, Oct 2021), which means for educator to use the correct pronouns and to call everyone what they want to be called so that students can have a model. It is important to open conversation for those in the classrooms who might have questions about what pronouns are, how to use different pronouns in sentences to make sure that other students who might not use different pronouns can be respectful of those students that do. And in no way is this supposed to single out kids but for learning and acceptance to happen these things need to be talked about from a young age so that as children get older, they can be models for how to be accepting of all people. 

In New York City, it was recently implemented that now non binary students would be represented in enrollment data. This is a way for students to feel accepted in the classroom because they are being represented and seen for the first time. In the article found on Chalkbeat New York Jenna Lyle(education department spokesperson) states, “ New York City Public Schools is committed to providing a safe, equitable and affirming school environment for every student in our school building”(Zimmerman, 2023). This is another very crucial and positive step for schools to be taking to make sure students are being seen. 
By implementing inclusivity and equity into classrooms throughout the country students as well as teachers/staff can become better and more welcoming in order to be the safe space for students. And I do not just mean LGBTQ students. I mean racially diverse students as well. Everyone and really everyone should feel safe and accepted in schools. In order to keep making progress and educating students on diversity and inclusivity it is necessary to have conversations even the uncomfortable ones especially about gender diversity and race. In an article I picked out last week for the discussion we had, it discussed the importance of talking to kids about racism and violence. One important point that was made in the article was the importance of validating children’s thoughts and feelings when having these sometimes difficult and mature discussions(Hameed, Howard, Domingues, 2023). 

Children should feel safe, welcomed and accepted in classrooms, certainly in my future classroom I will make an extra effort for all of my students to feel safe.

References:

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

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

The Trevor Project. (2022). 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/Links to an external site.

Hameed, K., Howard, J., & Domingues, J. (2023, February 22). Talking to Kids about Racism and Violence. 

Zimmerman, A. (2023, July 25). Nonbinary Students are Now Included in NYC School Enrollment Data. Chalkbeat.