xxii Introduction against transgender students. For example, requiring students to dress in gender-conforming clothing at school, gym, or the prom may seem to be a non-issue, but for transgender students it is an insurmountable wall and can lead to their exclusion or, worse, violence against their person. To make schools safe for transgender students, schools first need to respect the students’ choices. Transgender students deserve to be addressed by their preferred name and pronouns, to be able to safely use the bath- room of their choice, and to be able to express their gender identity with- out resistance from other students, faculty, administrators, or staff. Schools need programs identifying the needs of transgender students and reducing harassment and bullying of all students through clearly identified policies and procedures. There are a number of school policies that need explicit attention to maintain respect for transgender students. Dress policies need to elimi- nate gender bias. For example, school policies that state that “girls’ dresses must reach to the middle of the knee” should be reworded to “dresses worn by students must reach to the middle of the knee.” The rewording of the policy is gender neutral and applies to all students regardless of gender. Locker-room access is another challenge for schools. Because of the custom in American schools to segregate genders into separate dress- ing rooms, and because of the issues surrounding nudity, some schools have successfully integrated transgender students in the dressing room of their choice by providing dressing stalls for students requesting greater privacy while changing. Sex-education courses should specifically address transgender issues without negative references to their gender choices. Development for teachers, administrators, and staff needs to fully include transgender topics and training in proper use of nouns and pronouns. Finally, counseling staff needs to be sensitive and informed about transgen- der psychology and interpersonal dynamics. **** Social media and the Internet have changed society forever, and this includes many dynamics for the LGBTQ community and those coming out. Alex Dzurick, formerly of the College of Education at the Univer- sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Study Abroad program, explores the history and impact the Internet has made on gay youth in “Social Media, iPhones, iPads, and Identity: Media Impact on the Coming-Out Process for LGBT Youths.” Before the Internet, coming out was always a lonely and problematic process. In their search for the LGBT community, usually people depended
Previous Page Next Page