Creating an LGBTQIA+ inclusive school, or classroom, isn't just the right thing to do – it's also a life-changing thing to do. Up 21% of high school students around the world identify as LGBTQIA+ (1) but, unfortunately, two in three LGBTQIA+ young people will experience harassment due to their identity (2). 

As a result, LGBTQIA+ youth are six times more likely to have experienced depression in the last 12 months (3) than any other young people.

But, by creating an inclusive classroom, and school-wide culture, we can reduce stress, create support, and improve the experience of young people at the place they spend the majority of their week. 

In fact, when a leader (like a teacher, or manager) uses inclusive language, rates of harassment are halved.

Here’s a non-comprehensive guide for how you, your colleagues, or your school teaching staff, can get started in building LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Bring Everyone on the Journey

Creating LGBTQIA+ inclusion takes time, and requires buy-in to establish and grow. Within schools, the first steps towards effective LGBTQIA+ inclusion are often taken by passionate individuals. Wherever you are on the journey, it can often help to start by reflecting on why an inclusive environment is important to your school, and clearly define your objectives. 

Explore:

• Why this matters to our school and school culture, as a wider organisation and as individuals
• Our goals and objectives for building LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
• The areas that will be prioritised in the short, medium and long term, and what these timelines are.
• Acknowledge that it’s okay not to have all the information (or knowledge) at immediately, so long as there’s genuine effort to learn and make change as part of an ongoing process.

Understanding LGBTQIA+ Identities

Creating buy-in for inclusion starts with understanding and empathising with the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people, and especially LGBTQIA+ young people. 

LGBTQIA+ experiences can vary greatly in any group of people, and especially young people. Additionally, current experiences of LGBTQIA+ young people can be quite different to the experiences of LGBTQIA+ community in previous generations, or compared to those of your staff or contemporaries.  

Education and knowledge building is ongoing, and most effective when it’s part of a regular and consistent process. 

You can do this by:

• Undertaking LGBTQIA+ inclusion professional training as a staff cohort. 
• Inviting LGBTQIA+ guest speakers for days of significance like IDAHOBIT or Trans Awareness Week. 
• Distributing LGBTQIA+ inclusion resources via your internal staff network, or via email
• Not assuming the experience of queer young people 
• Making sure you continue to refresh your staff LGBTQIA+ training

Training & Guest Speakers

Create a GSA or Pride Group

Gay-Straight Alliances, Gender and Sexuality Alliances, or GSAs, are student-led clubs or groups that aim to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students at their school. They’re also popular as a supportive environment, and safe space, for LGBTQIA+ students. 

Importantly, GSAs aren’t “just” for LGBTQIA+ students – they also create a space for those who are questioning their identity, who have LGBTQIA+ friends or family members, and those who are passionate about inclusion. 

As well as signaling to LGBTQIA+ students that their school is committed to creating an inclusive environment, GSAs can be instrumental in generating real impact: 

• Students working together on issues, and creating resources
• School involvement in days of significance like IDAHOBIT and Trans Awareness Week becomes student-led, and deepened in its meaning. 
• Creating a safe social space for LGBTQIA+ students and their allies, building resilience and friendships

NSW GSA Connect has created a guide to starting a GSA. You can find it below.

Find out more

Leading by Visibility

An inclusive school isn’t just signaled by the absence of harassment toward LGBTQIA+ students, but through the ways in which LGBTQIA+ students are visibly included. 

School staff can take the following steps: 

Respect Pronouns

Using the name and pronouns of people correctly and consistently, even when that person isn’t present, or when other people don’t. This is made easier by taking steps towards building a culture of sharing pronouns.

More About Pronouns

Signal Inclusion

Display the rainbow flag, whether by wearing a rainbow lanyard or pin, putting a rainbow sticker in entrance ways, inclusion posters in classrooms, and even displaying your pronouns on your lanyard. Something as small as a rainbow pin reaffirms your personal commitment to inclusion, and signals visibly that you are an ally.

Celebration and Pride

Your genuine, internal steps towards building LGBTQIA+ inclusion deserve to be celebrated. Sharing your journey to do so not only signals your values, but can inspire others in your community to learn from you, too – or to get involved. 

Celebrating events of LGBTQIA+ significance – like IDAHOBIT, Pride Month, Mardi Gras and Trans Awareness Week – are great ways, and perfect opportunities, to start.

Whether you’re getting involved internally – via staff training, inclusion projects, or by wearing your own lanyard – or in a more visible way – through school assemblies, a rainbow flag raising ceremony or a school event – it all makes a difference.

There’s no limit to how you can celebrate LGBTQIA+ inclusion and pride, as long as you back it up with the internal steps of building authentic LGBTQIA+ inclusion throughout the whole year. 

Go Rainbow at School