Pride Month is celebrated every June as a time to celebrate and support members of the LGBT community.
As educators, we must acknowledge the challenges facing our LGBT students and do our best to support them and promote safety and equity in our schools.
When LGBTQ students do not feel supported by faculty and staff at school, the impact can be massive.
From the article Schools Struggle to Support LGBTQ Students by Edutopia:
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students are two to three times as likely to be bullied as non-LGBTQ peers, and they’re more likely to miss school and almost five times as likely to attempt suicide—the number is even higher for transgender people—according to a major survey of 15,600 high school students by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another study found that bullied lesbian, gay, and bisexual students reported higher levels of substance abuse and risky behaviors than heterosexual students who were bullied.
Here are some ways that you can support your LGBT students (many of which choose to remain closeted out of fear of harassment, mistreatment, and bullying from both peers and adults):
Putting up safe space signs, or a sign that says a classroom or school is welcoming of all identities.
Reprimanding students who use derogatory phrases such as “that’s so gay".
Seek professional development opportunities on how to address LGBTQ issues in your school.
Be a teacher leader in your school and lead by example (because many teachers simply choose to ignore these issues because it makes them uncomfortable).
By showing your support and care for the well-being of your LGBT students, you are doing your part to create an environment where ALL STUDENTS feel safe and able to learn, grow, and be true to themselves.
You can make a big change in your classroom by making the gesture of permanently hanging a safe space sign or poster in a visible spot in your classroom (like on the front door or on a bulletin board).
Get a free Safe Space poster for your classroom as an easy-to-print PDF file by clicking here.
Hanging a poster in your classroom is a good start, but it will take more than that to create a safe and supportive environment for your LGBT students. Here are some more helpful resources to help you become a positive example of leadership that so many students need:
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By Anthony Persico
Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.
