With transgender and nonbinary youth under increasing social and political attack, two educators—one a trans woman and one the parent of a trans child—have created an invaluable, action-oriented guide for educators and others wanting to create supportive school environments for these young people.
The volume includes strategies and insights not only from the personal and professional experiences of authors Vanessa Ford and Rebecca Kling, but also from the varied group of 52 teachers, researchers, advocates, parents, and trans and nonbinary students whom they interviewed.
Ford was a public-school classroom teacher in Washington, D.C., for 14 years, during which time one of her two children came out as transgender. She became a nationally recognized advocate for trans and nonbinary youth while continuing a career in education, and was a founding member of HRC’s Parents for Transgender Equality Council. She and her husband JR also co-authored Calvin, a Lambda Literary Award-winning picture book about a trans boy.
Kling, a trans woman, is now co-owner of the social impact consulting firm Better World Collaborative. Her background is in theater and performance, and she has extensive experience working with middle- and high-school students in after-school theater programs and as part of the leadership team at Harbor Camps, a summer camp for trans and gender variant youth. She and Ford met in 2016 through the National Center for Transgender Equality, where Kling was the organization’s community storytelling advocate (and later education director).
The core of their book is organized around four principles: Educate, Affirm, Include, and Disrupt—a framework Ford developed during the many training sessions she has conducted for educators. As Ford summarized in an interview, this means, “Educate the community; affirm through practice and policy; include through representation; and disrupt—from when you see individual bullying, all the way up to what we are calling legislative bullying. What can you do to disrupt the narrative and make change?”
Each chapter is full of ideas, examples, and encouragement from people who have done this before, and ends with two sets of questions: ones that ask readers to self-reflect, and ones that urge them to think about how to apply the chapter’s learnings to specific real-world challenges. The authors also look closely at the intersection of students’ trans or nonbinary identities with race and racism, physical disabilities, neurodiversity, family structure and dynamics, and economic class.
While the book does include some basic definitions and statistics about trans and nonbinary identities, it is much more than just an introduction to what it means to be trans or nonbinary; instead, it focuses primarily on practical steps for creating change, both large and small. This change should be made, the authors say, in partnership with trans communities, although the book also looks thoughtfully at when and how adults should bring trans young people into this work, versus when they should shield them and advocate on their behalf.
Despite its wealth of strategies and examples, however, the book also emphasizes that educators already have many of the tools they need. The authors write, “Educators and school leaders are already experts at supporting their students and creating healthy learning environments. While the specific needs of trans and non-binary students may be different than their cisgender peers, the end goal is the same: creating a safe and affirming learning environment where every student can thrive.”
The extensive appendices list helpful local, regional, and national organizations, along with model policies, assessments, curricular and professional development resources, and much more. Throughout the book, too, are quotes from trans students about what brings them joy—offering inspiration and hope.
No matter how readers are seeking to make things better for trans and nonbinary students, or where they are in their journeys, “The Advocate Educator’s Handbook” will be an invaluable guide. Highly recommended.
Read my interview with Ford and Kling to learn more.
