LGBTQIA+: Representation and Celebration

Representing all students in the classroom should be a continued and consistent effort. 

This flag serves as a symbol for LGBT and Queer people. 

LGBTQIA+ representation in the classroom can look like books with characters who identify as LGBTQIA+, affirming and hiring LGBTQIA educators, and giving students spaces that affirm and celebrate who they are as a person so they can grow and feel safe to learn. As outlined in a 2017 national survey of LGBTQ students, "when polled, only one in five LGBTQ students reported that they were taught positive representations of LGBTQ people, history, or events in their classes; and more than half (64.8 percent) of students reported that they did not have access to information about LGBTQ-related topics in their school library, through the internet on school computers, or in their textbooks or other assigned readings (New America)". Not only are students not learning about LGBTQIA history and evolution over time, "over a quarter of students (25.9 percent) said their administration was very or somewhat unsupportive of LGBTQ students; and 42.3 percent said they would be somewhat or very uncomfortable talking with a teacher (New America)". Students should be comfortable within their schools and among their peers.  

LGBTQIA+ student support is critical to student success and for the necessary landscape of our schools. Speaking from experience with friends and family, a student should be able to enter a classroom as their truest self. They should feel confident and sure that the educator in that room loves and celebrates them and is knowledgeable about ways to support them and educate other students who may or may not identify a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Identity is unique to each student but is also what creates community among students. By cultivating and caring for each student we are fostering relationships within our classroom that will lead to better results academically.