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Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People

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Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People

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A comprehensive guide that covers the difference between sex and gender, basics of gender, forms of address, and how to handle when you make a mistake. It's important for educators to know how to react when they or others make mistakes about their student(s).

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2024 Guide to Being an Ally to Trans and Nonbinary Young People

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The first step to becoming an ally to transgender and nonbinary people is to learn more; thank you for taking that step with us!

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Berkeley professor explains gender theory | Judith Butler

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Berkeley professor explains gender theory | Judith Butler

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While this video isn't specific to education, it is important for educators to understand gender and its history. Judith does a great job explaining gender theory and their current concerns for the subject.

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Berkeley professor explains gender theory | Judith Butler

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There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of what a pronoun is. As educators, it is important to refresh ourselves.

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pronouns plural : the third person personal pronouns (such as he/him, she/her, and they/them) that a person goes by

... many people with nonbinary genders use "they" and "their" pronouns, although language and gender expression vary widely. - Lucy Brisbane

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns refer to either a noun that has already been mentioned or to a noun that does not need to be named specifically.

The most common pronouns are the personal pronouns, which refer to the person or people speaking or writing ( first person), the person or people being spoken to ( second person), or other people or things ( third person). Like nouns, personal pronouns can function as either the subject of a verb or the object of a verb or preposition: " She likes him, but he loves her." Most of the personal pronouns have different subject and object forms:

There are a number of other types of pronouns. The interrogative pronouns-particularly what, which, who, whom, and whose-introduce questions for which a noun is the answer, as in " Which do you prefer?"

Possessive pronouns refer to things or people that belong to someone. The main possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs.

The four demonstrative pronouns- this, that, these, and those-distinguish the person or thing being referred to from other people or things; they are identical to the demonstrative adjectives.

pronouns introduce a subordinate clause, a part of a sentence that includes a subject and verb but does not form a sentence by itself. The main relative pronouns are that, which, who, whom, what, and whose.

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause and are formed by adding -self or -selves to a personal pronoun or possessive adjective, as in myself, herself, ourselves, and itself.

Indefinite pronouns, such as everybody, either, none, and something, do not refer to a specific person or thing, and typically refer to an unidentified or unfamiliar person or thing.

The words it and there can also be used like pronouns when the rules of grammar require a subject but no noun is actually being referred to. Both are usually used at the beginning of a sentence or clause, as in " It was almost noon" and " There is some cake left." These are sometimes referred to as expletives.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pronoun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pronomin-, pronomen, from pro- for + nomin-, nomen name - more at pro-, name

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

The first known use of pronoun was in the 15th century

More from Merriam-Webster on pronoun

Merriam-Webster unabridged

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any of a small set of words (such as I, she, he, you, it, we, or they) in a language that are used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and whose referents are named or understood in the context... See the full definition

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LGBTQ+ Resources for Supportive Administrators

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LGBTQ+ Resources for Supportive Administrators

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While the title points to administrators, these resources can be used for the classroom as well. Teachers can also bring attention to the practices explained.

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"Supporting our LGBTQ+ population is important on many fronts. First, we want to provide all students with a safe and affirming school environment to learn and succeed. Second, we want all kids to graduate and be successful in their post-high school lives.

Some of our LGBTQ students face some of the most challenging obstacles to graduate, so it's imperative for them to have academic success they need to be in school, so a safe and supportive environment specific to their needs is critical."

Imran Abbasi
High School Principal

School and district leaders have a significant opportunity-and responsibility-to create learning environments in which all students can thrive and achieve their full educational potential.

Use these resources to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all of your students:

Four Supports:

The GLSEN Research Institute has identified four major supports that schools can use to cultivate a safer and more LGBTQ+- affirming learning environment for LGBTQ+ students.

Comprehensive Policies

Supportive Educators - Including LGBTQ+ Educators

GSAs or LGBTQ+ Student Clubs

Inclusive Curriculum

When these Four Supports are in place, LGBTQ students experience less harassment and discrimination, do better in school, and experience a better school climate.

Our Four Supports Resource can help you to ensure you have an LGBTQ+ inclusive school where all students, educators, and families feel welcome.

GLSEN Days of Action:

Consider implementing school-wide days of action that clearly demonstrate your commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion:

Solidarity Week Day of Silence

Policy Resources

This resource includes 8 key policy recommendations to support LGBTQ+ students, and concrete examples of schools who are implementing them.

Policy Resources

GLSEN has created a toolkit of evidence-based model policies based on what's working across the country and what our expertise shows us will make schools safer for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Our policy toolkit is intended for application and adaptation to any community, at any scale.

Looking for more support?

GLSEN's Chapter network is made of up incredible advocates who can help you bring the four supports to your school. Find out if you have a Chapter near you.

Professional Development not only brings additional resources and skills to your faculty and staff, but it also signals your commitment to improved school climate for all. Find out more here.

"I remain a champion of LGBTQ+ youth because far too many of their voices are silenced when their stories need to be heard. A single supportive adult can be the difference between life and death, connection and isolation, overcoming adversity and being overcome by it. These inspirational kids deserve a chance to change the world."

Amy Cannava
Nationally Certified School Psychologist

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LGBTQ+ Resources for Supportive Administrators

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"Supporting our LGBTQ+ population is important on many fronts. First, we want to provide all students with a safe and affirming school environment to learn and succeed. Second, we want all kids to graduate and be successful in their post-high school lives.

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The first step to making students feel welcome and seen is to educate yourself. If the adults in their life are already aware and accepting of their identity, it will save them the stress of coming out and/or explaining.

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How do I make sure I use the right pronouns for someone? And what if I mess up? Language can change quickly. Here’s a guide to talking gender in its beautiful complexity.

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Toilets, bowties, gender and me | Audrey Mason-Hyde | TEDxAdelaide

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Toilets, bowties, gender and me | Audrey Mason-Hyde | TEDxAdelaide

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It's important to hear about people's experience with gender. Audrey Mason-Hyde explains living in a heavily gendered work when one views their gender as fluid. Audrey is either the age of or near the age of the students you may have, making this all the more important to actively listen to.

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Toilets, bowties, gender and me | Audrey Mason-Hyde | TEDxAdelaide

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What Educators Should Know About LGBTQ+ Rights 

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What Educators Should Know About LGBTQ+ Rights 

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A guide for the legal side of things. What protections do educators/students have, what educators can do to advocate for their students, and the challenges faced depending on the state.

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Rethinking Gender: An Illustrated Exploration | by Louie Läuger

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Rethinking Gender: An Illustrated Exploration | by Louie Läuger

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An open journey about gender that feels like you're learning with the author. Louie makes sure the reader knows that information is ever changing, and they are not all knowing. This book is useful in getting a better understanding of the different terms used to describe one's gender.

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A lively, informative, and engaging guide to gender by an author-illustrator who helps readers understand the multiplicity of answers to “What even is gend…