I’m wearing my best purple flannel and hoodie today in honor of Spirit Day, GLAAD’s annual event to speak out against anti-LGBTQ bullying and stand with LGBTQ youth. Bullying can come from peers, teachers, coaches, or even, awfully, parents—but the virulent anti-LGBTQ legislation, book bans, and curriculum restrictions around the country are also a form of bullying. That means this Spirit Day is more important than ever.
GLSEN’s latest biennial National School Climate Survey (NSCS), released today, has found few positive changes for LGBTQ students in the past two years, with 82 percent of LGBTQ students feeling unsafe at school, and almost all hearing anti-LGBTQ remarks, many from teachers and staff. What can we do about this?
Something Great … is simply great! A nonbinary child stars in this story of STEM thinking, creativity, and friendship that refreshingly is not “about” their queer identity. Author/illustrator Jeanette Bradley was kind enough to share a little about her inspiration and influences.
Non-profit Pride and Less Prejudice, which has donated over 7,500 LGBTQ-inclusive picture books to elementary school classrooms in the U.S. and Canada since its founding in 2019, is holding a virtual auction through this weekend so they can send 800 more. Check out some of the amazing offerings!
As school-related anti-LGBTQ legislation and policies continue to rise, what should LGBTQ parents know about recent moves and how to protect their families? Two experts from Family Equality shared their thoughts with me.
Amidst a wave of book bans and challenges around the country, five—yes, five!—services are actually providing free, LGBTQ-inclusive books to schools and educators. Here’s how to request them.
It’s that time of year again, so here’s my updated annual collection of back-to-school resources on creating welcoming school environments, communicating effectively with your children’s teachers, countering bullying, developing inclusive curricula, supporting LGBTQ youth in sports, finding LGBTQ-inclusive books (including free ones for schools), tracking relevant legislation, and much more.
Ah, spring! Time of flowers, birdsong, and, for many of us parents and our children, college visits. My own son went through the college admissions process a couple of years ago. While I am in no way an expert on the topic, I thought I’d share a few things we found helpful.
A new website from one of the leading researchers on LGBTQ families offers expert information for parents and teachers who want to make schools more inclusive of LGBTQ-parent and other diverse families.
After a year when time has seemed strangely warped, it’s hard to believe it’s back-to-school season already, but it is. To help get the school year off to an inclusive start, here are some great new picture books about gender identity. Check them out for home or school use!
