Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/795366
FOR A GENDER E XPANSIVE CL ASSROOM Gender Spectrum offers professional development and resources, including Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools. genderspectrum.org/resources/ education-2 GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) has been providing K-12 education resources to schools since 1990. glsen.org PFLAG has chapters working in local communities to provide training and resources for schools to create an environment free of bullying and harassment. Formerly known as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, it has expanded to include support for those who are transgender. pflag.org sch o o l s m ay h av e an impl em ent ation gap when it comes to what educators are supposed to do with that information in the classroom or when supervising kids on the yard. What happened with the teacher who called Child Protective Services is not uncommon. It shows a lack of information and understanding, which caused that teacher to make a judgment call." Th e fact that students weren't fazed i n t h a t p a r t i c u l a r c l a s s r o o m w h i l e adults were p anickin g i s typical , ad d s Baum , who notes, "Kids are way ahead of us when it comes to comfort around gender diversity." But transgender students are often the victims of bullying and harassm ent by peers at school . The NCTE 2015 sur vey of 27,715 people who were openly trans- gender in school found that 77 percent experienced some form of mistreatment d u r i n g th e i r s c h o o l ye a r s : 5 4 p e rc e n t were verbally harassed, 24 percent were p hy s i c a l ly a tt a c k e d , 1 3 p e r c e n t w e re sexually assaulted , and 17 percent left school to avoid mistreatment. Students who experience higher levels of victim- ization based on gender expression are more likely to b e at ri sk for substance abuse, suicide, not going to college, and problems finding employment. For Lilly, school has always been diffi- cult. She was teased after transitioning i n e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l . An d w h e n s h e e n t e re d m i d d l e s c h o o l , stu d e n t s w h o k n e w h e r i n e l e m e n t a r y s c h o o l t o l d o t h e r s t h a t s h e u s e d t o b e a b o y a n d harassed her. The teachers and princi- pal were welcoming and supportive, but she felt singled out, which is awkward for anyone in middle school. Eventually th e pressure b ecam e too great, and she decided to leave school . Davis, her former teacher, cried when she heard Lilly decided to be homeschooled. L i l ly 's p a re n t s w e re s a d d e n e d t h a t their daughter did not feel safe at school, but pleased to hear that the district will improve its efforts to help gender-diverse students succeed. "Having bathroom laws is a good start," says Julie Nilsson. "But schools still have a long way to go, and it's time for educators to start thinking beyond the bathroom." Lilly says she misses hanging out with her friends and hopes that by the time she's old enough to enter high school, being transgender won't be a big deal. "I'd really like to educate people about w h a t i t m e a n s t o m e , s o t h e y a r e n' t always asking questions," says Lilly. "It's something I think people should know about, so they can understand . We are just like anybody else — and want to be treated like anybody else. My goal is to be an advocate about this." Working with families to ensure a smooth transition For 14 years he lived as a girl, but he now identifies as a boy. He's out to close friends and school staf f, and hi s parents have worked closely with Benicia High School to ensure a smooth transition. His mother, Carleen Maselli, teaches at his school, and Lucia Lemieux created training for staff at her school to become more educated about students on the gender spectrum. 24 cta.org " I treat all my students with honesty and empathy, and when they feel comfor table, they do well." — LUCIA LEMIEUX, UNIFIED ASSOCIATION OF CONEJO TEACHERS FEATURE