Understanding Gender Diversity
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A critical issue that we must consider as future educators is understanding gender diversity. It is important to realize that some students may not feel comfortable in their bodies. Gender diversity can be defined as "a term that addresses the spectrum of gender identities and expressions, including but not limited to: Transgender—a person whose identity differs from the sex and gender assigned to them at birth. Non-binary—a person who does not identify exclusively as a male and female. A non-binary person may identify as being both male and female, or not a part of either of these categories" (Students exploring gender identity, 2021). The concept of gender diversity can be tricky. Therefore, there are many ways we as teachers can make all students feel comfortable and seen. For example, changing your language can be a huge way of making students feel safe. Something you shouldn't do is "categorize students by binary gender" (Students exploring gender identity, 2021). What this means is don't call out peoples genders by saying things like "boys and girls". Instead, try saying things like "hey everyone" so you are not specifically calling on a gender or "if you like cookies line up" if you want to get creative and have some fun in the classroom.
Another major thing educators have to take into consideration is the rise of suicidal thoughts amongst LGBTQ youth. In the past year, "45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide" (The Trevor Project, 2022). The high percentage of suicidal thoughts isn't because of their gender diversity. "LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society" (The Trevor Project, 2022). Treating all students the same in your classroom and educating your student to treat everyone the same can lower this percentage. If students feel they are no longer being stigmatized by society, hopefully the rise of suicidal thoughts will decline. Besides suicidal thoughts, LGBTQ students are not treated the same compared to non LGBTQ students. "The vast majority experienced harassment or assault during in-person school" (Wall, 2022). School should be a safe place for all students and it is not okay for these students to be experiencing harassment. In the documentary The Laramie Project, a boy in Wyoming was killed because he was gay. This type of action puts nothing but fear into all the people of Laramie, Wyoming who are gay. In one of the interviews a man says how their parents wouldn't come and watch him if he did a certain scene in a competition. The interviewer asked why which he then responded "you know, because they believe it's wrong, because homosexuality is wrong" (Kaufman, 2022). This response is why many people in the LGBTQ community feel stigmatized in society, have increased thoughts of suicide, and are afraid to be themselves.
This critical issue relates to anti-racism in the classrooms. LGBTQ students have to deal with feeling stigmatized by society and so do people of color. "As educators, we must acknowledge that the events of our society impact the practice and activities of our classroom" (Ferlazzo, 2020). Just like how we have to educate our students on LGBTQ youth, it also has to be done with current events dealing with people of color. It is important to remember that our students are going to come to class with some knowledge of what is happening in the world regarding a community they are part of and have feelings of shame. Talking about real life situations to our students will let them know they are heard and seen and can ask questions.
References
Ferlazzo, L. (2020, July 28). Strategies for embracing anti-racist work in our classrooms. Ed Week.
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 National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2022/
Wall, P. (2022, October 25). 'unsafe, unwelcoming': LGBTQ students report facing hostility at school. Chalkbeat.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2022/10/25/23421548/lgbtq-students-mental-health-school-safety-survey
Hi Ashley! I really enjoyed reading your first blog post. Something I appreciated a lot is your note on how to use inclusive language in the classroom. Dividing our students by binary gender is not a very welcoming way of conducting our classes. The example you used of saying “line up if you like cookies!” is both so entertaining for our students and provides a more comprehensive way of splitting the class. This is something I actually use in all the dance classes I teach. I always greet my students by saying “hi friends!” as to not upset anyone. I also really liked the point you made about LGBTQ students experiencing harassment at in-person school. When kids are bullied by their classmates, it is very easy for them to fall into the hole of never wanting to go back. Since the somewhat end of the pandemic and virtual classrooms, it has been difficult for many students to return to in-person learning. Having to face their mean, vicious classmates makes this transition so much more difficult for many students. Thanks so much for sharing this information in your post!
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