Training

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Many people have no idea what the LGBTQIA+ acronym even stands for yet alone what it means. There is no shame in that! This workshop will give you and your team with the tools necessary to: 

• Understand basic terminology about the LGBTQIA+ community. 
• Analyze statistics and stories about the lived experience of LGBTQIA+ people.
• Address and dismantle stereotypes about LGBTQIA+ people.
• Outline simple practices to create safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQIA+ students and families. 

We all have biases, and most are harmless; some biases can even be helpful and based on information that support those around us. However, many biases are born from negative stereotypes that are based on limited to no direct experience. The consequences of these types of biases, whether explicit or implicit, is the harm that they cause when they manifest in our behavior and communication with those we serve and collaborate with. In this presentation we will: 

• Analyze what bias is, its causes, and how it manifests in different forms. 
• Recognize individual and systemic biases that victimize LGBTQIA+ people.
• Identify best practices for addressing individual biases and bias-based bullying.
• Perform the application of best practices through case examples.

What does it look like to create a learning environment that is not only safe, but supportive and inclusive of LGBTQIA+ identified students and staff? How can we help LGBTQIA+ students thrive and break free of the chains of discrimination, prejudice and exclusive practices? It is all about the culture that we build, the policies that shape them, and every individual that is responsible for modeling, enforcing, and supporting the systems that we put in place. It is about restructuring our spaces to include and reflect every individual that walks through our doors.  This presentation will:

• Demonstrate factors that promote resilience and positive outcomes for LGBTQIA+ students.
• Review state/district policy guidance that provide protections to LGBTQIA+ youth, families, and staff.
• Identify best practices for creating inclusive environments.  
• Analyze current practices and plan action steps that can be taken on an individual and systemic level to further safety, inclusion, and opportunities for LGBTQIA+ students, families and staff.

Many people find it difficult to understand TGD people and what it means to exist on the wide spectrum of gender that is outside the socialized norms of female-girl/woman and male-boy/man. I will be the first to say that you do not have to feel bad about it if it leaves you scratching your head from confusion. After all, we are all here to learn. So long as you come with an open heart and mind, this workshop can start you on your journey to understanding the big wide world of gender in all its complexities. This workshop will:

• Explain terms and definitions related to the TGD community.
• Review statistics and stories to build a wider picture of the lived experiences of TGD people.
• Discuss simple practices to create inclusive spaces for TGD students and families. 

Gender is not a stagnant thing; it is malleable.  It moves and reshapes itself within the context of our society and the time period we live in. It is something that we manifest and create together as a society, yet our understanding of gender is often rigid and binary to the detriment of those who fall outside of the expected social norms. These gender norms when essentialized and enforced inevitably lead to harmful gender roles, repression, genderism, pathologization, and discrimination. To challenge our constructed ideas around gender, we need to deconstruct them and analyze their pervasiveness in our daily lives. In this presentation, we will:

• Examine the meaning of social constructionism and its application to gender
• Analyze gender through time and cross culturally.
• Review the history of the pathologization of non-normative gender behaviors and TGD people. 
• Break down genderism and identifying methods to address transphobia, and intolerance of gender non-conformity.

This session will provide a thorough overview of the laws, policies, resources, and best practices related to supporting transgender students. Through interactive discussion and activities, administrators will explore key issues impacting students and staff. Participants will leave with ideas for institutional policies that they can implement (like Gender Support Plans), as well as skills to navigate conversations with students, educators, and families. 

• Understand the factors that promote resilience and positive outcomes for TGD youth.
• Review state/district policy guidance that provide protections to TGD students.
• Identify best practices for creating inclusive environments for TGD students.
• Plan action steps you can take to support TGD students and families and identify current barriers.