Teachers play an important role in establishing and maintaining healthy environments for students to learn and grow. As leaders and guides in setting and maintaining the culture of their classrooms and school communities, teachers are critical in establishing welcoming, respectful, and safe environments, explaining expectations for student interactions, and modeling inclusive language, which continues to evolve over time.
Disclaimer
This information is designed to help teachers respond to students who may be in need of support. It is not intended to be used as a diagnostic tool or to replace the use of formal assessments employed by mental health professionals. Additionally, it is important to consider the context of the situation, individual differences, and cultural and linguistic factors.
What is gender identity?
- Gender identity is an individual’s sense of their own gender (e.g., as a male, female, transgender, nonbinary).
- Gender expression is how an individual presents their gender to others through physical appearance and behavior—this may include, but is not limited to, dress, voice, or movement.
- Gender diverse is a term that addresses the spectrum of gender identities and expressions, including but not limited to:
Transgender—a person whose identity differs from the sex and gender assigned to them at birth.Non-binary—a person who does not identify exclusively as a male and female. A non-binary person may identify as being both male and female, or not a part of either of these categories.
- Cisgender refers to a person whose identity does not differ from the sex and gender assigned to them at birth.
How might gender diversity impact the school experience?
- 80% of transgender adults report knowing they were “different” as early as elementary school. 96% report realizing they were transgender before adulthood.
- On average, gender diverse individuals were 15 years old before they had the vocabulary to understand and communicate their gender identity.
- Gender diverse students often report feeling unsafe at school, avoiding gender specific spaces (e.g., restrooms), and experiencing harassment at school.
- Students indicate that they rarely report discriminatory incidents, and those who do feel unprotected.
- Gender diverse students experiencing gender-related stressors at school are more likely be absent, have lower GPAs, report higher levels of depression, engage in substance use and risky behaviors, and be at an elevated risk for suicide.
- Some students may live in their affirmed gender identity with peers at school, but not at home, or vice versa.
What can teachers do?
Do: Model gender inclusive language and behavior.
Don’t categorize students by binary gender (e.g., line up by boys/girls).
Do: Implement policies for non-discrimination and anti-harassment for gender diverse students.
Don’t wait for issues to arise before addressing harassment and discrimination against gender diverse students.
Do: Maintain an open mind that gender identity is complex and each student’s identity is unique.
Don’t attempt to categorize students or draw conclusions about other qualities based on their gender expression.
Do: Respect students’ stories and allow them to inform people (peers, teachers, parents) in their own time and in their own way.
Don’t share information about gender identity without students’ permission. In particular, be aware that in a virtual learning environment (VLE) some students may have other people in the same learning space who are not aware of their gender identity.
Do: Recognize that, depending on home situations, in a VLE, some youth may feel limited in their ability to express their gender identity.
Don’t assume that students are equally comfortable expressing their gender identity at home and at school (whether in person or in VLE).
Do: Be aware of your own biases or assumptions that might send mixed messages to students.
Don’t assume students should behave or express their gender identities in certain ways.
Do: In the VLE, use your pronouns in your email signature and on your video screen. This communicates to students that you don’t make assumptions about pronouns and gender identity based on appearance alone, and that they can report the pronouns that they use.
Don’t require that every student use their preferred pronouns in their email or on screen, as they may not be ready to share these yet.
Do: In the VLE, invite students to change the name on their video screen to reflect the name that they would like to use during your class.
Don’t require that they use the name with which they are registered for school.
Refer students to further help if needed
- Review your school policy for seeking student supports.
- Contact your school counselor, psychologist, social worker, or other personnel.
Additional resources
Empirical research
Birnkrant, J. M., & Przeworski, A. (2017). Communication, advocacy, and acceptance among support-seeking parents of transgender youth. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 21(2), 132–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2016.1277173
Bowskill, nee H. T. (2017). How educational professionals can improve the outcomes for transgender children and young people. Educational and Child Psychology, 34(3), 96–108. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=psyh&AN=2018-08632-006&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Chong, E. S. K., Poteat, V. P., Yoshikawa, H., & Calzo, J. P. (2019). Fostering youth self-efficacy to address transgender and racial diversity issues: The role of gay–straight alliances. School Psychology, 34(1), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000258.supp
Moe, J. L., Perera-Diltz, D., Sepulveda, V., & Finnerty, P. (2014). Salience, valence, context, and integration: Conceptualizing the needs of sexually and gender diverse youth in P–12 schools.Journal of Homosexuality, 61(3), 435–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2013.842437
Olson, K. R., & Gülgöz, S. (2018). Early findings from the transyouth project: Gender development in transgender children. Child Development Perspectives, 12(2), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12268
Turban, J., Ferraiolo, T., Martin, A., & Olezeski, C. (2017). Ten things transgender and gender nonconforming youth want their doctors to know. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(4), 275–277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.12.015
Related Mental Health Primers
The Mental Health Primers are developed by the Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education. This resource was updated in October 2021 with support from cooperative agreement NU87PS004366 funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views or endorsement of the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services.