Staff-Wide Training Guide

The Summary: Why to Train Teachers, Administration, and Staff on LGBTQ+ Issues

One important action school administrators can take on the path to making their schools more accepting of LGBTQ+ diversity is the training of teachers, staff, and even themselves!

WHY train about LGBTQ+-related issues?

Because training teachers and staff on those issues is one of the cornerstone ways to reduce bullying and create an accepting school climate, which benefits the ENTIRE student body.

Why Training is Vital: The School Environment

The school environment reinforces heteronormativity on many levels, often without overt intent. The intrinsic nature of much of society negates LGBTQ+ people on a daily basis. The message sent to LGBTQ+ people is often that their identities are lesser, or not valid (Sinclair & Reece, 2016). Examples of heteronormativity include: anything divided by gender, to which students are either assigned, or must choose, a gender – bathrooms, locker rooms, etc.; curriculum that does not discuss the history or contributions of LGBTQ+ people, and does not cover the fight for LGBTQ+ rights; messaging about gender expectations in such things are prom king or queen, dress codes by gender, and permitted dates to events (Elliott, 2016).

The common messaging is that sexuality and gender are natural, binary, and fixed, which stigmatizes students whose sexuality and gender does not fall under traditional expectation (Elliott, 2016). Administration, faculty, and staff should also be trained on examining their behavior, in order to understand the ways that they inadvertently or intentionally reinforce an anti-LGBTQ+ climate at school (Stonefish & Lafreniere, 2015). 

Teachers and administrators alike benefit from training that educates about hostility within the school environment, and the harassment, bullying, and threatening behavior faced by LGBTQ+ students (Swanson & Gettinger, 2016). Training should make sure to cover students who are marginalized because of their gender expression. Gender non-conforming students are the most likely group to experience harassment, regardless of their sexual identity or gender identity (Elliott, 2016). Training on these issues makes faculty, staff, and administration more aware of student interactions and more responsive when interference is needed (Swanson & Gettinger, 2016). In fact, studies have found that principals are often unaware of the bullying occurring in their schools (Sinclair & Reece, 2016). When asked to rate school safety, administrators consider their schools far more safe that the students do (Sinclair & Reece, 2016).

Train Teachers on the Protective Role Supportive Teachers Provide

Teacher support was rated by LGBTQ+ students as the most important buffer from negativity, even ahead of parental or peer support (Swanson & Gettinger, 2016). Having a supportive teacher is one of the highest predictors of various positive outcomes for LGBTQ+ students.

Teacher engagement had the highest influence on student self-esteem, academic achievement, and attendance. LGBTQ+ students with supportive teachers completed more homework, were more involved in school, and were more likely to plan for college (Swanson & Gettinger, 2016).