The start of the school year should be a time of new learning and new opportunities. For LGBTQ parents, however, it may also bring concerns about how welcoming and inclusive our children’s schools will be. I advise following these ABCs.
The U.S. House is set to vote today on a bill that would require schools to censor any mention of trans and nonbinary identities, and to out trans and nonbinary students to parents. And the FCC is considering warning labels for “transgender and gender non-binary programming” on TV. Take action now against these moves.
The past few weeks have seen bad news—and one bit of good news—from the U.S. Supreme Court regarding LGBTQ youth and families. Let’s look at three cases, involving school discrimination and public funds, conversion therapy, and whether schools must tell parents the names and pronouns that their children use.
Two-thirds of LGBTQ+ students felt unsafe at some point because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, according to Glisten’s latest National School Climate Survey (NSCS). Glisten reminds us, however, that LGBTQ+ students are multi-faceted and shouldn’t be categorized simply as “victims” or “leaders.”
Put another one in the win column. Michigan’s State Board of Education yesterday approved new state health education standards that include LGBTQ relationships and gender identity in the sex education curriculum. The standards are guidelines, not requirements, but send an important message of inclusion.
Today is Spirit Day, GLAAD’s annual event to show support for LGBTQ youth and speak out against bullying—both personal bullying and the sweeping bullying of anti-LGBTQ laws and rhetoric. The need is greater than ever.
For many LGBTQ parents, back-to-school time brings worries about whether our children will be harassed or stigmatized because of their families. After seeing my son through college, I can say that the worries never fully disappear, but there are things we can do to lessen them and prepare our children for whatever they may encounter.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision saying that parents have the right to opt out their children before LGBTQ-inclusive books are read in public school classrooms is awful for many reasons. I want to focus here, though, on one that may feel amorphous but that should be at the heart of our response: its attack on queer joy.
“Today’s ruling threatens the very essence of public education,” said U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a dissent after the court decided today that parents have the right to opt out their children before LGBTQ-inclusive books are read in public school classrooms.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case on April 22 about whether parents have the right to opt out their children before LGBTQ-inclusive books are read in public school classrooms. It’s about more than just books, however, as newly filed amicus briefs show.
