For many LGBTQ2S+ children, going to school can be a terrifying, even traumatic, experience. Some SD23 staff members and educators are advocating for more representation for queer and trans students.

Tyson Cook is a certified education assistant within the school district. He mainly works with younger kids, and this year he鈥檚 seen a lot of students coming out as non-binary. While he doesn鈥檛 have much say in the school district as an education assistant, Cook says he works with teachers and educators to make sure his non-binary and trans students feel safe in the classroom.

鈥淓very teacher I鈥檝e worked with has always had the same mindset that gender doesn鈥檛 really need to have a place in the classroom. We try to have the least gendered things as possible,鈥� said Cook.

One way to remove gender from the classroom is to replace the bathroom signs with non-gendered symbols. In Cook鈥檚 classroom, there are two gender-neutral bathrooms and one emergency bathroom. Cook and his teacher will also hand out non-gendered emergency bathroom passes for kids to use.

But Cook stresses the importance of using non-gendered language in the classroom. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure that we鈥檙e not saying stereotypical things, like how someone鈥檚 mom is at home or dad鈥檚 at work. Gender is not a good descriptor, really,鈥� he said.

Many educators and staff members are also advocating for district-wide change. Adam Kern, a teacher on-call within SD23, was heavily involved in implementing SOGI 123 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) at his school. SOGI 123 is a set of resources and policies for teachers, school staff and administrators to make schools a safe place for LGBTQ2S+ students.

鈥淏eing a teacher is a very busy job, and you need to take time to learn something and want to do it鈥� We wanted to make (learning about SOGI 123) nice and easy, and get it out and make it accessible,鈥� said Kern.

And this work is important. According to a 2021 study by Egale Canada, 62 per cent of LGBTQ2S+ children report feeling unsafe at school. Homophobic, biphobic and/or transphobic language is still both frequent and widespread, and LGBTQ2s+ students are still physically and verbally harassed more frequently compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers.

鈥淲ithin our schools, it can be as simple as putting a Pride flag on our doors and having honest conversations when something happens, like if someone is using a homophobic or transphobic slur in class,鈥� said Kern. 鈥淚 also try to use resources that don鈥檛 conform to traditional gender norms.鈥�

鈥淎ll these things are trying to teach inclusivity, especially in the early primary ages, then we鈥檙e able to build on that and cover more complex and deeper issues,鈥� he added.

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LGBTQ2S+ representation should not be confined to the classroom, however. Cook, also known as Freida Whales, is one of the founders of the Drag Queen Story Time program at the Okanagan Regional Library in 琉璃神社. The program was first launched in 2019 and has been a popular library staple ever since. Cook said Drag Queen Story Time is a great way for children and their families to connect with the queer community and experience queer activities for the first time, even if he doesn鈥檛 focus solely on LGBTQ2S+ stories.

鈥淒rag Queen Story Time doesn鈥檛 need to always be about queer folks. I love the kind of stories where you get to discover what鈥檚 special about yourself and really celebrate it. I want families to know that there is a community out there that does support them. I also want kids to know that if their family doesn鈥檛 support them, there is a family waiting for them to support them when they鈥檙e ready,鈥� he said.

LGBTQ2S+ voices must also be heard and represented on the administrative level. SD23 school trustee Wayne Broughton said he listens to concerns from LGBTQ2S+ parents and parents with LGBTQ2S+ children. As a trustee, Broughton engages with his community and brings those conversations to the school district to set plans, policies and the annual budget. Although he doesn鈥檛 have the power to police the school board, Broughton works with the superintendent to make sure LGBTQ2S+ youth and their parents are heard.

鈥淟ooking to the future, I would certainly expect people to feel that they could talk to me directly or other trustees if they needed to. I鈥檓 available on social media, and I鈥檓 connected with groups like 琉璃神社 Pride. My wife started a group in town called Trans Parent Okanagan Peer Support, and that鈥檚 another avenue as well,鈥� he said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people who want LGBTQ2S+ youth to feel respected and included鈥� As long as I鈥檓 a school trustee, I鈥檓 making sure that senior staff know about that and that they鈥檙e all on board with making sure that happens,鈥� he added.

But there鈥檚 still a lot of work the school district needs to do, especially for trans youth.

鈥淚 would like to see some new policies to protect trans youth in the district, especially some policies around deadnaming trans students, for instance. We need to make sure we have those policies in place,鈥� Broughton said.

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paula.tran@kelownacapnews.com
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