School Board Members Advocate for Queer/Trans Youth

Photo by Norbu GYACHUNG on Unsplash.

The suggestions below are in addition to those for administrators. School board members have wide latitude to influence district or school policies and can act on a number of levels to support, directly or indirectly, queer and trans students in their schools.

If you're not on the school board, run to change that! Alternately, work hard for the election of queer, trans, or allied board members, including students.

In addition to everything else below, you can work to name schools after LGBTQA+/SGL individuals when the opportunity arises.

"I think adults should also take time to learn about the queer community because then they understand more about different identities and are more equipped to defend queer and trans youth from laws attacking the youth from presenting themselves as who they are in schools."

School board members in a safe school and community

If so, how would they like your support?
- Be sure to ask, whether that's by talking to students whom you know, attending part of a GSA meeting (with advance permission, of course), or any other way you can contact them.
- Listen closely to what they say.
- Compensate them for their time and expertise by offering a meal, snacks, gift cards, cash, or something similar.
- Once you have their guidance, follow up on their suggestions
Can you support them openly? Or will you need to provide them behind-the-scenes support? Your school and community climate will help determine that.

Model Local Education Agency Bullying and Harassment Prevention Policy
Want to see where your state lands? Check out this list: LGBTQ Youth: School Nondiscrimination Laws & Related Policies (PDF)
Once you have a written policy that has passed (or if you already have one), work hard to get it fully implemented in all schools in your district.
- Have it posted prominently in your district's schools.
- Support your schools' administrators as they follow the suggestions on their page in this section. If they're not already doing so, encourage them to start.
- Pass and Implement LGBTQ-Affirming Policies

Make it clear that bullying of any kind is not acceptable. Ever.
Make sure your policy enumerates that this includes anti-LGBTQA+/SGL bullying.
Put your bullying policy in the student handbook and have your schools post it prominently.
Mandate trainings for students, faculty, and staff on what bullying is and why it is not acceptable under any circumstances.
You can find much more detail on the bullying page of R2T2.

If there is no GSA, tell students, faculty, and staff that you support there being one.
If needed, remind your school principals that students have a right to form GSAs.

School board members in a hostile school or community

First, school board members don't get the same caveat that i've given everyone else in education. Yes, a queer- or trans-positive school board member in a hostile community may get voted off the board. But that's not the same as losing one's livelihood, which is a threat that innumerable educators face.

Overall, your role is to advocate for your queer and trans students in front of other board members and in your district. Some suggestions are below.

If this isn't realistic for your community, see if you can find those in the "sway-able middle" and discuss with them how important having such a policy is.

If you can sway a couple school board votes, that might be all that's needed to change some minds — and, hopefully, to pass a non-discrimination policy.

And if that's not enough switched votes, you've still made progress. This sort of change is often very incremental. Moving one person gets you one vote closer to a supportive policy.

Make it clear that bullying of any kind is not acceptable. Ever. If possible, enumerate that this includes anti-LGBTQA+/SGL bullying.
Put your bullying policy in your student handbook and have your schools post it prominently.
Mandate trainings for students, faculty, and staff on what bullying is and why it is not acceptable under any circumstances.
You can find much more detail on the bullying page of R2T2.

If there is no GSA, tell students, faculty, and staff that you support there being one.
Remember that, if a school in your district allows any extracurricular clubs, it cannot bar the creation or meetings of a GSA.