"That’s So Gay!" And Other Microaggressions: How To Help LGBTQ+ Students

It’s Pride Month! How do you support students? Stop microaggressions and make school a safe space.

With Pride Month underway and summer break on the horizon, June is an ideal time to make lasting changes to support LGBTQ+ students before the new school year begins. Microaggressions from thoughtless questions to incorrect pronoun use continuously eat away at their mental health.

You can implement policies and practices and provide training now to actively support this significant subset of the school population throughout the 2022-23 school year. Incorrect assumptions and careless comments harm students who express their sexual and gender identities and those who do not.

• Why do LGBTQ+ individuals have to navigate safety daily?
• What are the assumptions of heterosexuality and heteronormative behaviors?
• How do stereotypes and the power of language influence students?
• How have terms, labels, and language changed?
• How do sexual identity and gender identity differ?
• How has the pandemic increased abuse, suicidality, and homelessness?
• What are the red flags for mental health concerns?
• What specific steps can you take to create a safe space?