KIPP Texas Public Schools proudly recognizes Transgender Awareness Week November 13-19, in an effort to advance advocacy around the prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affects the transgender community. We have an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and firmly believe that every child has the right to learn in a safe and welcoming environment.
KIPP Texas also recognizes Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, the annual observance honors the memory of transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence that year.
We value diversity and the unique contributions each student brings to the classroom. We are working to ensure our staff have the training, support, flexibility, and resources to nurture, encourage, and respond to the needs of all students.
How can educators better help and understand their transgender students? From allyship to lesson topics, below are a few great resources to help navigate conversations about gender identity in the classroom.
Resources for Educators
- 8 Questions with GLSEN’s Educator of the Year
- Follow Their Lead: How Schools Can Help Transgender Educators Thrive
- How Using Gender-Neutral Language Can Break the Silence of LGBTQ Students
- When I Came Out as a Trans Principal, This Was My School’s Response
- Advice on Making Trans-Inclusive Schools, from My Queer School Counselor
- Dear Trans Students, from a Trans Educator
- 6 Ways I Make My Science Class LGBTQ-Inclusive as a Trans Educator
- How Do We Make Math Class More Inclusive of Trans and Non-binary Identities?
Resources for Students
- What Does Allyship With Non-binary Students Look Like?
- What If Schools Taught Non-binary Pronouns?
- I’m a Trans Student of Color. Supporting Me Means Fighting White Supremacy
- Educators Can’t Ignore Trans Students. Our Futures Depend on It
- 4 Ways to Support Trans Students of Color
- 8 Affirmations from Trans Folks for Students Struggling with Pronouns
- Here’s Why Non-binary Students Need Allies
- 4 Toxic Messages I Learned About Gender (and 4 to Teach Instead)
- I’m Non-binary, and “Trans-Accessible” Restrooms Should Include Me, Too
Resources for Transgender People of Color
Transgender people of color (PoC) are uniquely impacted by transphobia, racism, and violence due to the intersectionality of their race and gender identities. Here is a list of some of the organizations dedicated to providing support and resources, as well as advocating for transgender PoC.
- The Trevor Project 24/7 lifeline: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386)
- TrevorChat instant messaging, TrevorText support
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
- Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860
- A Guide to QTPoC Organizations in the United States – Huffington Post
- Trans Women of Color Collective – An organization to uplift the narratives, experiences and leadership of trans and gender non-conforming people of color.
- Black Trans Advocacy – An organization to advance social equality for disenfranchised people with specific focus on inequities faced in the Black and Transgender human experience.
- Black Transmen Inc. – Black Transmen Inc.® is the first national non-profit organization of African American transmen solely focused on acknowledgment, social advocacy and empowering trans men with resources to aid in a healthy female to male transition.
- The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) – The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations.
- Brown Boi Project – The Brown Boi Project works to transform the way that communities of color talk about gender and helps build the leadership, economic self sufficiency, and health of LGBTQ people of color–pipelining them into the social justice movement.
We believe in an inclusive education and environment
Inclusive environments provide a better quality education for all children and are instrumental in changing discriminatory attitudes. Schools develop much of what a child learns, how they act and shapes them into who they are, and who they will ultimately become. Respect and understanding grow when students of diverse abilities and backgrounds play, socialize, and learn together. When education is more inclusive, so are concepts of civic participation, employment, and community life.
KIPP Texas Public Schools creates joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students with the skills and confidence to pursue the paths they choose — college, career, and beyond — so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world. Enroll today!
