Gender in Schools:

Beyond Binary

Jennifer Leininger, M.Ed.

Program Manager (she/her)
Guidelines
• No right or wrong questions
• Confidential
• Use respectful language
• Share and allow others to share
• Shape this discussion to fit your needs
• Introduction

2
 Objectives
• To provide an overview of key terms and concepts related to
gender

• To provide an outline of gender inclusive schools and tactics

to personally implement inclusivity

• Discuss how to talk about gender diversity with students,

parents, and the school community

3
Lurie Gender & Sex
Development Program
We support the physical, mental and social health of patients and their families as youth
progress through gender identity development.

Why areMultidisciplinary
staff
Care
from Lurie
Children’s Hospital
Longitudinal Community
Consultation
facilitating this discussion?
Research
& Training

Gender
Program
Mental Multidisciplinary
Health Community
Services advocacy
Services
and
connection
to legal
Parent services
School and teen
outreach
and support
support
groups
4
My Gender Journey
Personal
• Growing up did you think of yourself as a boy, girl, or something else? How
did you come to that conclusion?

• What messages did you receive from others about your gender? Did those
messages make sense to you?

• What is your first memory of gender impacting you/your life?

• Have you ever been confused by someone’s gender? How did that make
you feel? Why do you think you may have felt that way?

• Have you ever been confused by your own gender?

• If you were to describe your gender without discussing how you look, what
would you say?
6
Professional
• What is your comfort level discussing gender with your colleagues?

• How might your experience with gender impact your work?

• How would you categorize you school’s overall acceptance of gender

diversity?

• What professional training have you received regarding gender? Was it

useful?

• Have you had any experiences that significantly impacted the way you
view the role of gender in your workplace?

7
8
Sex (assigned at birth)

Intersex

Gender Identity
Raise your hand if you have a gender identity

Gender Expression

9
 Key Terminology
Gender Expansive (Nonconforming/Creative)

• Long-standing occurrence (e.g., 6 months or more) – not a fleeting curiosity

or interest

• Gender nonconformity is a normative variation of human diversity

10
 Key Terminology
Sexual Orientation

Cisgender (cis-“same side as”)

Gender
Sexuality Identity
(who you love)
(who you are)
11
 Key Terminology
Transgender or Trans
• Applies to identity not body parts

Non-Binary Gender

An adjective, not a noun or a verb

a. Incorrect as noun: “She’s a transgender.”
b. Incorrect as verb: “That person is transgendered.”
c. Incorrect: “A transgendered person.”
d. Correct: “A transgender student/male/female”

12
There is no
ONE way
to be trans.

© TSER Trans Student 13

Equality Resources
 Key Terminology
Pronouns
• It’s okay to ask people what pronouns they use
–She/her/hers
–He/him/his
–They/Them/Theirs
–Other pronouns

Quick Activity!
Turn to your neighbor and discuss what you did
over the weekend without using any gendered
language.

14
© Heather Walter
17
 “When someone with the authority of a
teacher, say, describes the world and you are
not in it, there is a moment of psychic
disequilibrium, as if you looked in the mirror
and saw nothing.”
– Adrienne Rich, poet

18
19
20
21
 Gender Impacts Everyone
• 50% of elementary bullying is based on gender and/or sexual orientation
slurs (Holt, M., & Espelage, D., 2013)

• More than 50% report school as an unsafe environment for “not being as
masculine as other guys or as feminine as other girls” (Holt, M., & Espelage, D.,
2013)

22
 Cultural Norms
“The generally accepted rule is pink for boys, and blue for the
girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and
stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is
more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”
-1918 article Earnshaw's Infants' Department trade publication

23
Cultural Norms

24
25
How can you integrate discussions
of diversity into your school?
• Gender diversity, cultural
diversity, diverse families
and family structures
• Others?

26
27
What is Transphobia?
vAlso described as cissexism

vDiscriminatory acts directed toward trans

people.

v Because gender is a deeply rooted

concept in our society, reactions to those
who do not conform female/male binary can
be extremely severe.

vSystems of oppression and intersecting

identities

28
 Health Risks
Outcomes Tied to Rejection and Acceptance
• Students that are not supported are at increased risk of:
– Depressive symptoms, low life satisfaction, self-harm, isolation,
posttraumatic stress, incarceration, homelessness, and suicidality

• Students that are supported are tied to the following traits:

– Positive self-esteem, high social support, positive mental health, less
depressive symptoms, greater self-esteem, greater life satisfaction
(compared with youth whose families were non-supportive)

(D Augelli,Grossman, & Starks, 2006; Garofalo, Deleon, Osmer, Doll, & Harper, 2006; Hill, Menvielle, Sica, & Johnson, 2010; Roberts, Rosario, Corliss,
Koenen, & Bryn Austin, 2012; Skidmore, Linsenmeier, & Bailey, 2006; Toomey, Ryan, Díaz, Card, & Russell, 2010; Travers et al., 2012) 29
Why Support for Trans Youth Matters

© TSER Trans
Student Equality 30
Resources
 Transition

– Process by which an individual begins living in their affirmed gender

• Social
• Medical
• Legal
– May or may not include hormonal and/or surgical treatment
– No one way to be trans; therefore, no one way to transition.
Affirming vs. Accepting
The word ‘affirm’ is used to acknowledge the identity of an individual.
 Discussing Transitions

1. Support the transgender student—this is their story

2. Keep language simple and affirming
3. Don’t be afraid of questions!

33
 Professional Organizations with Affirming
Transgender Policy Statements

• American Psychological • Association of Title IX

Association Administrators
Creating an affirming and supportive
• National Association of Social
Workers
• National Council of Teachers of
English
environment for transgender youth is
• American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry
• Veterans For Peace
• The Canadian Psychiatric
about creating an inclusive school
• The American College of Nurse-
Midwives
Association
• American College of Physicians

climate for everyone.

• The Pediatric Endocrinology
Nursing Society
• American School Counselor
Association
• National Association of Pediatric • American Geriatrics Society
Nurse Practitioners
• National Association of School
• The National Association of School Nurses
Psychologists
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s
Hospital of Chicago 34
35
• Avoid gender segregation

• Restroom and locker room accessibility

• Respect name and gender pronoun (including forms)

• Ensure that all students are allowed to participate in

activities/events in accordance with their gender identity

• Inclusive dress code

Special Extra
Everyday School Curricular
Dress Events Uniforms Activities

36
Northwestern
University
students will
elect one
Homecoming
Wildcat from a
court of 12
people
• Respect Student Privacy and Confidentiality

• Implement nondiscriminatory policies and comprehensive

policy for bullying and discrimination (explicitly include gender
identity)

• Ensure that resources and support are easy for parents and
students to locate

• Celebrate ALL different types diversity with curricular inclusion

38
39
 Institutional Inclusion:
Policies and Procedures

40
• Berwyn South School District 100
–K-8
–Gender Support Team
–Parental notification for student under 13 for name change in
SIS
• Harlem District 122 (Rockford)
–K-12
–Roster change form (parent notification needed if under 18)
• Williamsville CUSD 15
–Administrative Procedure adopted through an IDHR Complaint
–No parent notification required
• Lurie Children’s Hospital Model Policy
7:10 Board Policies

7:10 board policies that include gender identity

and gender expression as a protected class
with AP to support policy.
• Districts D65, D112, and D113
–Included public hearings
–These policies do not yet clearly state that all students be
given access to gender affirming facilities àpublic
hearings made it clear in the hearings that that would be
the practice implemented as part of their AP

42
 Becoming an Ally
1. Ask what the student needs
2. Take the student’s gender identity and expression seriously
3. Acknowledge mistakes (own themà practice to correct the behavior)
4. Respect the student’s name/pronoun(even if you are not in their presence).
5. Do not out ANYONE (or allow anyone else to do so) without their consent.
6. Treat trans people as members of their gender identity
7. Provide resources and support

43
Gender Inclusive Schools

• Focus on • The various ways we

educator’s communicate (verbal
understandings of and nonverbal) and
Personal Interpersonal
reinforce the school’s
gender and building
foundation to build commitment to
inclusive practices gender inclusion

• Institutional steps • Specific ways in

that create a which teaching and
learning are used to
Structural foundation for Instructional
instill greater
gender inclusive awareness of gender
practices diversity

© Gender Spectrum 11/1/2016

It is important to respect differences.

45
 Let the student guide your conversation.
What specifically are they trying to understand?

• Be clear in explanation but also ensure that you understand what

specific questions your adolescent has. Are the questions about
gender? Transitioning?

• Don’t answer questions that they’re not asking.

46
1. Books and current events

2. Discuss the importance of respect

Names & pronoun

3. Remind youth that it’s OK to be curious but it’s not

OK to ask overly personal questions

47
“I don’t think that it’s OK to be gay or trans and I
don’t want my child to think that it’s an OK option
for them.”

48
Responding to religious
questions/objections
• The role of schools is not to get everyone to agree but to foster
a climate where there is respect for the diversity of beliefs and
families within a community.

• Respect is built by acknowledging the diversity in the community,

promoting opportunities for community dialogue and allowing the
diversity of families to be visible within the school. Most people can
agree that it is appropriate for schools to teach kindness and mutual
respect for everyone’s beliefs.

© Welcoming Schools 2/25/2016 49

50
Reflection

51
Creating a Gender-Inclusive School
Environment
1. Reflect on your experiences and feelings about gender.
2. What systems are in place for gender diverse youth at my
school?
3. Is there LGBT curriculum inclusion at my school?
4. Do I communicate a non-binary understanding of gender to my
students through the visuals on my classroom walls, the books
on the shelves and the language I use?
5. How do I ensure the safety of gender expansive students?

52
 Thank You!
Jennifer Leininger, M.Ed. (she/her)
Program Manager, Gender & Sex Development
Program
Jleininger@Luriechildrens.org
773-303-6056

53
References and Resources
55
 Organizations providing Resources for Parents,
support to transgender Educators, and Allies
individuals
• Gender Spectrum
Illinois • Families in TRANSition: A Resource
• Illinois Safe Schools Alliance Guide for Parents of Trans Youth
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s • Schools in Transition: A Guide for
Hospital Gender Program Supporting Transgender Students in
• Howard Brown Health Center K-12 Schools
• Center on Halsted • Welcoming Schools
• Youth Outlook • American Psychological Association
(q& a packet)
• A Guide For Parents
National
• Trans Youth Family Allies (TYFA)
• GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, Straight
Education Network) • Lambda Legal: Working With
Transgender and Gender-
• The Trevor Project (crisis and
Nonconforming Youth
suicide prevention)
• Gender Creative Kids Resource
Library
 Orlando Massacre

Current Events Legislation (i.e. North Carolina’s HB2)

Legalization of Gay Marriage

Stonewall Riots

Historical HIV/AIDs Epidemic

Events Kinsey Scale

Ellen DeGeneres

Popular Culture Frank Ocean

Figures Sir Ian McKellen

Anderson Cooper

Bayard Rustin

Historical Jane Addams

Walt Whitman

Figures Alan Turing

Eleanor Roosevelt

Books

Art Films

Photography
School Scenarios

58
 1. Nick identifies as male and would like to use the male
restroom at his school. He expresses a male identity in and
outside of school and uses he/him pronouns. When Nick goes
to use the boy’s restroom another student stops him from
entering and tells him, “you’re really a girl.” A staff member is
notified and asks Nick to use the nurse’s bathroom.

59
2. A parent of a cisgender student calls you to ask
about their child’s transgender classmate. This
parent states, “I don’t want my daughter using the
restroom with a boy. I believe that this is
inappropriate and unsafe.”

60
“I can assure you that the safety, well-being and education of all
students remain our highest priorities.”

“Of course I can’t talk about any individual student, just as I

would never talk about your child.”

“I know this is new territory for many of us. Sometimes change

is really challenging. Perhaps I can share some information with
you about gender identity and transgender people?”

Source: “Schools in Transition” 2015

61
3. A student at your school has asked to be called a name
and pronoun, different from what is on their birth certificate.
One of your colleagues continues to refer to the student by
their legal name and doesn’t use their preferred pronouns.

What might you say to this staff member?

How would you respond if it was one of your other

students using a classmate’s previous name/pronoun?

62
4. Robert, wore a dress to school. Many students
had questions about his outfit and the teacher felt
that this was distracting. She sent him to the
principal’s office with the request that he be sent
home to change his clothes.

63
 5. A student is overheard calling another
student a transphobic slur

What are some ways that you could handle

that conversation? Should the guardians be
notified? 64
 6. Students are going on an overnight trip.
Melissa, a transgender female student would
like to share a room with her peers. Should
you notify parents? How might you handle
overnight trips for transgender students?

65
66
-Karen identifies female, is female and will be treated
as a girl in every way. Karen wants us to use she/her
pronouns and to be called Karen consistently by all
staff and students. We will respect Karen and continue
to use this name and female pronouns.

-Your classmate feels like a boy and he is boy. He

has asked us to support him by calling him Bob and
use he/him. This is just like how you like for us to call
you Marco and use he/him. 67
-Sam doesn’t feel like a boy or girl and would like to be called
they they/them pronouns because that makes them feel good.
We want to support everyone at the school by being respectful
of names an pronouns.

-While you may have known Jim as Jackie last year he feels like
a boy and identifies as male. We will show Jim support and
respect by calling him Jim and using he/him pronouns
consistently. Calling Jim by any other name or pronoun will not
be tolerated.
68
Additional Information/Resources

69
Illinois Safe Schools Alliance
www.illinoissafeschools.org

National Center for Transgender Equality:

www.NCTE.org

GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education

Network) National: www.glsen.org

Gender Spectrum: www.genderspectrum.org

Welcoming Schools: www.welcomingschools.org

Community Resources
Center on Halsted Broadway Youth Center
Where: 3656 Halsted, Contact: (773) 935-3151 Youth Outlook
Chicago ImaniR@Howardbrown.org -Drop In Centers in
When: Everyday, 8:00 – Naperville, Aurora, DeKalb
9:00pm TYRA: Transgender Youth and Sterling
Contact: (773) 472-6469 Resource and Advocacy -Transcend program
Group specifically for trans youth
VIDA/SIDA At BYC- Wellington ages 13-21
Where: 2703 W Division St. For T/GE youth under 24 -Parent Group
Chicago, IL 60622 615 W. Wellington youth-outlook.org
773.278.6737 (phone) Wednesdays, 5-7p
http://prcc-chgo.org/vidasida/ blue@howardbrown.org Pinwheels,
http://www.meetup.com/Pin
Project VIDA Illinois Safe Schools wheels/
2659 South Kedvale Avenue Alliance, -playgroup for trans and
Chicago, IL 60623 illinoissafeschools.org gender expansive youth
Phone: (773) 277-2291 -Youth Committee -meets monthly in Palatine
Fax: (773) 277-3543 -GSA Network
-Action Camp Angles Pride Youth
Lurie Children’s Gender -Statewide Advocacy
& Sex Development Program
Program -Drop In Centers in northern
Jennifer Leininger suburbs
773-303-6056
Jleininger@Luriechildrens.
org
Mental Health Resources

IntraSpectrum Counseling, Ltd. Valeo Pride Extensive

180 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1040
Outpatient Program
Chicago, IL 60601
(847) 363-5088 Chicago Lakeshore Hospital
www.intraspectrum-chicago.com Intake: (800) 888-0560
Live Oak Chicago
1300 W Belmont Ave, Suite 400 Other therapists
Chicago, IL 60657 -Deb Brozeweski
(773) 880-1310
www.liveoakchicago.com -Jamie Pagano
-Deb Wilke
Lurie Children’s Gender & Sex
Development Program (Drs. -Barb Getz
Hidalgo, Chen, Coyne, Leibowitz)
Health Resources

Gender and Sex Development Program and Lurie Children’s, 773-303-6056

Howard Brown Health Center, howardbrown.org

Country Care Options, Stroger’s Same Gender Loving Clinic

Open Door Clinic in Aurora/Elgin, opendoorclinic.org

Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists, aglp.org

WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health), wpath.org

Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, trans-health.org

Legal Resources Local:
The Transformative Justice Law
National Center for Lesbian Rights
Project of Illinois
(NCLR), nclrights.org Phone: (773) 272-1822
Email: info@tjlp.org
Lambda Legal, lambdalegal.org Website: http://tjlp.org

Human Rights Watch, hrw.org TJLP Name Change Mobilization

Where: 12th floor of the Daley Center
Room 1202 50 W. Washington
National Center for Transgender Chicago, IL
When: Last Friday of every month
Equality, transequality.org
9:00AM-3:00PM
Contact: namechange@tjlp.org
Transgender Law Center, TransLife Center: TransLegal
transgenderlawcenter.org Phone: 773.248.5200 Ext. 414

American Civil Liberties Union Jill Metz & Associates--Carol Jones

(Chicago)
(ACLU) aclu.org/issues/lgbt-
Emma Vosicky, evosicky@kggllc.com
rights/transgender-rights (Chicago)
Housing Resources

El Rescate – VIDA/SIDA 360 Youth Services

2703 W Division St. Transitional Housing Program for
Chicago, IL 60622 18-24 year old experiencing
773.278.6737 (phone) homelessness
http://prcc-chgo.org/vidasida
To refer a potential resident, call
The Crib 331-215-7388
835 W. Addison 360youthservices.org
Chicago, IL 60613
Phone: 773-549-4158
thenightministry.org Open Door Shelter (night ministry)
1110 n Noble street
TransLife Center at Chicago House 773 506 4100 or 877 286 2523 (toll
http://www.chicagohouse.org/?post_c free)
auses=translife-center Ages 14-20 interim housing with
max 4 month stay. LGBT youth
• Teen Living Programs (more than welcome.
one program) Ages 14-24 Best times to call are before 9am
Individual and Family
Support/Helplines:
• Parents, Families and Friends of • It Gets Better Project,
Lesbians and Gay/ Parents of itgetsbetter.org
Transgender Individuals • Gender Spectrum,
– 2 Illinois Chapters of PTI genderspectrum.org

– Chicago group: Arlene Collins • Trans Youth Family Allies (TYFA),

– McHenry group: Toni Weaver imatyfa.org
• Trans Lifeline, translifeline.org
– 877-565-8860 • Family Acceptance Project,
• The Trevor Project, familyproject.sfsu.org
thetrevorproject.org
– 24/7 Suicide Hotline • Inter/Act Youth,
– 866-488-7386 http://interactyouth.org/
• RAD Database, radremedy.org
Chicago Resources
Support/Social Groups
PFLAG –Parents of Transgender Individuals Meet Up Group-Pinwheels
Where: Center on Halsted, 3656 Halsted, Chicago Where: http://www.meetup.com/Pinwheels/
When: 2nd Thursday 7p.m. – 9p.m. When: Monthly
Contact: ptichicago1@gmail.com Contact: livethethruth@gmail.com

PFLAG Metro Chicago (LGBT) Youth Outlook

Where: Center on Halsted Senior Room Location Transcend (ages 14-20)
3656 N Halsted, Chicago Where: West Chicago, IL
When: 3rd Sunday, 2 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. When: 2nd and 4th Wednesday
Contact: pflagchicagometro@pflagillinois.org
Transcend 2 (ages 18-25)
Broadway Youth Center-TYRA
Where: Naperville
When: Thursdays, 6-8 PM
When: 3rd Wednesday
Contact: Baylie Roth 773-299-7604
Contact: nancy.mullen@youth-outlook.org
BaylieR@howardbrown.org

77