Page 12 - ALGBTIC News Magazine - Fall 2019

compassionate and forgiving of yourself as you work working on school records to include students’ au-
with those that are different (and maybe not so differ- thentic names (vs. legal name) when required, deter-
ent) from you. If you make a mistake with a student, mine a balance of what information is needed to share
being direct and clear with an apology, and, through with students’ parents and guardians, and how the
action, making amends models a process of aware- student will be addressed in school.
ness, understanding, and growth. Ultimately, schools should have connections
Students with strong parental support have with resources within the community for referrals to
higher life satisfaction and lower levels of depres- mental health services, medical providers and support
sion and suicidality. This is important to know when groups and parental supports.
working with families, in providing sensitive support,
balancing student and family concerns. Often, brief The Future
psychoeducation is warranted for parents who some- While the aforementioned strategies are not at all ex-
times lack basic understanding between sex, gender haustive, it is imperative we continue constant learn-
and affective orientation (Durwood, McLaughlin, & ing, seeking professional development opportunities,
Olsen, 2017; Goodrich et al., 2013). reflect on our own biases and strongly-held stereo-
Important interventions for professional types, and continue advocacy within our schools,
counselors includes advocating for equitable access to our communities and at legislative levels. Increased
activities, school functions, and school-wide change competence and confidence in working with LGBT-
to policies; providing education and workshops to GEQIAP+ students in schools will lead to better
school staff and administration; developing respon- academic performance, school success, and positive
sive LGBTGEQIAP+-focused bullying prevention physical, mental and social health outcomes for these
programs and empowering students to advocate for students. It is my sincere hope that someday students
themselves to be their authentic selves (Asplund & of all identities will look forward to the leaves falling,
Orway, 2018; Bemak & Chung, 2008). the end of summer, and will run passionately in the
Creating a safety plan with students that as- school doors, with open arms welcoming them, offer-
sesses protective and risk factors, anticipates potential ing a place at the blackboard for everyone.
crises, develops strategies to address these situations
and prevents further crisis, and includes a detailed Helpful National Resources
plan of action of how to proceed during an emergency CenterLink (https://www.lgbtcenters.org/): This orga-
(Rise Project Coordination Care Team Program Man- nization provides networking, technical assistance and
ual, 2016). training, and capacity building services.

Educators and Staff GLAAD (https://www.glaad.org/): This organization
Teachers should model affirming and positive atti- works with news and entertainment media of all for-
tudes towards LGBTGEQIAP+ students and issues, mats and communications and digital strategy outlets
provide prompt and strict responses to harassment and to ensure the public is provided with powerful stories
bullying of LGBTGEQIAP+ students in classrooms, about the LGBTQ community that advocates for
and be aware of and be intentional in shifting gen- greater equality.
dered language
They also need to promote diversity in class Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (https://
examples and in wording of class content, creating www.glsen.org/): GLSEN’s mission is to ensure every
visibility for students, and providing positive repre- member of school communities feel respected, regard-
sentations of LGBTGEQIAP+ students in coursework less of their sexual orientation. This is accomplished
School Administration and Policies. It is important through educating teachers, students and the public
that educators and staff create, implement and main- about the common pressures faced by LGBTQ stu-
tain clear bullying, harassment, and anti-discrimina- dents and working to remove barriers to success.
tion policies that address affective and sexual orienta-
tion and gender identity and expression. Human Rights Campaign (https://www.hrc.org/): The
Staff and educators must respect and hon- organization is focused on making true equality for all
or identities, names, and pronouns of students; and possible. The organization has a number of research