Student sexuality/ gender advise

So recently I was asked by Sexplain to give some advise for teachers when dealing with students who may identify as queer or have a different gender than their sex. I decided to do a blog post about it cause I think anyone could learn from it.

When regarding students :

- If a student is comfortable telling you that they are queer or identity with a different gender then take into consideration that it does not mean they are fully open unless they say otherwise so sometimes keep the information covert unless the student is open about their sexuality and or/ identification . -if a student does come out it is okay to ask questions about sexuality and /or identification . For sexuality I recommend questions such as : are you completely out yet ? Have you told your parents ? And ask if you could support them in anyway . That could be a safe place for them if they have just come out cause that is a scary time , especially if they are not out to family and friends. For those who identify as a different gender then their sex : ask what their pronoun is . If they prefer to be called a different name ? With non-binary students they might want to be called a neutral nickname . For trans students they may want to be called a name stereotypically to their gender . -i also recommend teachers doing just background research as there are many different sexuality's and ways someone can identify . -when planning lessons , make sure there is not any context that could cause harm or may stirr opinions in class . If you are unsure if they are comfortable with something let them know before the lesson what it entails and let them decide if they are comfortable with it or not . - accept students no matter what. Even if you don't know exactly what it means just nod and smile as that is what anyone looks for when coming out . - it is okay to mess up but please acknowledge your mistakes and try to prevent that. This could include calling a student by the wrong pronoun. Apologise and correct yourself . - listen out for other student comments that may seem homophobic and challenge them. - please don't treat the student differently and if any lessons approach the subject of sexuality and gender of any kind don't assume the students knows everything or don't refer to the student, even if it is just eye contact . I've had teachers look straight at me when talking about homosexuality and it has made me feel uncomfortable. - Overall, just be respectful but don't be afraid to ask appropriate questions Some activities I like to do regarding gender are as follows : - I like the genderbread man a lot! - I like to give vauge and brief definitions of genders without the names and then let students put themselves in with what they have read . For example , instead of saying non-binary means this .... say some attributes of agender like ' not feminine but not masculine'. Vise vera for women and man , list what is seen as feminine / masculine attributes and see if kids can see that in them . - I also like to do 'draw the non-binary ' . So gets kids to draw what a man may look like and what a women may look like and what a non-binary may look like . - I think a good activity overall is role-playing . Especially if it is about LGBTQ+ . Get kids to roleplay as different sexuality's and genders and see what they can come up with and also it lets them see that LGBTQ+ relations are not that different and it helps put their foot in our shoes .