January 23, 2016
These are some of the workshops from the coming Time to THRIVE conference.
They have been wiped from the conference website.
#Day1: Prevent Bullying on Day1!
The Tyler Clementi Foundation
Sean Kosofsky, Executive Director, The Tyler Clementi Foundation; Jane Clementi, Co-Founder, The Tyler Clementi Foundation
The Tyler Clementi Foundation works to address all online and offline bullying in schools, workplaces, and faith communities. #Day1 is an innovative new campaign, rooted in research, which aims to change social climates across the U.S. to prevent bullying, harassment and humiliation before it begins. This interactive workshop will give youth-serving professionals and students the opportunity to learn the #Day1 approach to bullying prevention and participate in a demonstration of #Day1. The presentation will include slides, video and other materials.
#UndocuPeers – Liberating Campus Climate
United We Dream
Carlos Padilla, QUIP National Coordinator, United We Dream; Alejandra Perez, Member, DEEP Advisory Council, United We Dream
#UndocuPeers training is an interactive certification training program that seeks to increase the educational success of undocumented immigrants. This training is meant to provide the tools necessary to begin or continue conversations on how to better support and work alongside undocumented immigrant students by streamlining departmental supports and resources across the institution.
A Film About LGBTQ Youth For All Ages
Ellen Brodsky Films
Ellen Brodsky, Film Producer, Ellen Brodsky Films; Pam Chamberlain, Associate Producer, Ellen Brodsky Films
We will model how to use film, theater, and interactive exercises to share stories and strategies from LGBTQ youth of color who participate in True Colors: OUT Youth Theater. We will show scenes from the new film, The Year We Thought About Love, as well as lead exercises and discussion. The film follows an LGBTQ youth theater as they write a play about love – love in the family, with friends, in romance, and with God.
A Place In The Middle: Indigenous Perspectives on Gender Diversity, Cultural Safety, and Empowerment
Quaves Films
Dean Hamer, Director, Quaves Films; Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Campaign Spokesperson, A Place In The Middle Campaign
Despite increasing awareness, gender-creative youth are often bullied rather than respected. This program offers educators a resource, rooted in Indigenous culture, to promote acceptance for all. It is based on a PBS film about a Hawaiian girl who dreams of leading the boys’ hula troupe, and a transgender teacher who empowers her with culture. By connecting participants to resources developed with the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, this workshop honors a legacy of culturally-safe gender and sexual identities long before colonialism interrupted Indigenous ways of being.
Access for All – Safe Spaces in the Y and Beyond!
YMCA of the U.S.A.
Chad Nico Hiu, National Specialist, Diversity & Inclusion, YMCA of the U.S.A.
This workshop will provide participants insight into how the Y strives to ensure that LGBTQ youth, individuals and families have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Additionally, participants will be asked to give feedback, share thoughts and help identify opportunities for improvement in policies, practices, procedures and programs with the goal of ensuring that LGBTQ youth, individuals and communities feel welcome at the Y and beyond!
Addressing the Needs of Gender Nonconforming Youth and their Families: A Primer for Counselors
American Counseling Association
Stacee Reicherzer, Licensed Professional Counselor, Walden University
This interactive ACA-sponsored presentation will bring to life the diagnostic criteria of gender dysphoria for youth, highlight the World Professional Association of Transgender Health’s Standards of Care for Transexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People for children and adolescents, and discuss additional evidence-based treatments for gender-nonconforming youth. This will include information on how to help families make age-appropriate determinations for addressing a child’s needs in school and other settings, as well as identify how and when to make medical referrals for hormones and surgical interventions.
Beyond Bathrooms: Supporting Transgender Students in Schools
Gay-Straight Alliance Network
Christopher White, Director, Safe and Supportive Schools Project, Gay-Straight Alliance Network; Song Nguyen, Manager, HIV/STI Prevention, District of Columbia Public Schools
In June 2015, District of Columbia Public Schools adopted a “Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Policy Guidance.” The purpose of this document was to provide school-based staff guidance on following and implementing both federal laws and D.C. municipal policies and regulations that support and protect transgender and gender nonconforming students. The presenters will provide an overview of the process of developing the guidance document. Participants will learn about federal laws, assess their own local policies, and develop strategies for supporting youth in their schools.
Beyond the Binary: Gender-Expansive Puberty Education
Advocates for Youth
Wesley Thomas, Program Coordinator of LGBTQ Health & Rights, Advocates for Youth; Joel Baum, Senior Director, Professional Development & Family Services, Gender Spectrum
Puberty education consistently excludes a gender-diverse lens. With growing numbers of trans* young people entering schools, educators and leaders can’t ignore this population. Puberty, terrifying for any young person, is especially challenging for gender-expansive youth. This workshop will highlight gaps in puberty education and provide strategies, resources and models for making puberty education more gender-inclusive for ALL students. Participants will gain insight on how their role influences this issue and understand that gender-inclusion is an intentional step toward equality for trans* and gender-expansive students.
Breaking Down the Bisexual Education Policy Agenda
Mary Hoelscher, Program Specialist, Out For Equity, Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota
National bisexual leaders presented an educational policy agenda to the White House for #biweek in 2015. In this workshop, LGBTQ+ organizational leaders in education will have the opportunity to dive deeply into the federal policy recommendations developed by the bi+ community for youth who are attracted to more than one gender with a co-author of those recommendations. From Title IX to curriculum, this session will discuss tangible ways to address the unmet, well-documented needs of bisexual youth.
Bringing LGBTQ Issues and Stories to Life in the Classroom
Anti-Defamation League
Rachelle Warren, Project Director – Education, Anti-Defamation League
Research from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Dr. Stephen Russell and colleagues finds that individual students, both LGBTQ and straight, feel safer at school when LGBTQ issues are included in the curriculum. This same research also found a positive impact on school climate. Come gain skills on implementing LGBTQ history, affirming curricular resources for all grade levels, including teaching LGBTQ history, affirming transgender students, and critically examining gender. This workshop focuses on sharing lesson plans and implementation ideas.
Children of LGBT Parents Speak
COLAGE
Robin Marquis, National Program Director, COLAGE
The identity, culture, and challenges that are part of having one or more LGBTQ parent(s) are often invisible. The voices of those children are rarely heard even though there are an estimated six million people in the U.S who have one or more LGBTQ parent(s). In this workshop we will talk about various family formations and the diverse experiences of these “youth of”. We will provide cultural competency training to LGBTQ parents, community members, and service providers so they have tools in order to be allies to “youth of” and support them in their own identities and life experiences.
C is for Equality: Engaging and Activating Trans* Allies
PFLAG National
Jamie Henkel, Equality & Diversity Partnerships Manager
After a very brief review of the equality literacy basics, this interactive workshop will candidly discuss the challenges that exist for people who are straight and LGB to becoming trans* allies. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn from one another about some of the core competencies of trans* allies, youth-focused activities and behaviors that boost trans* inclusion, and ways to express themselves as trans* allies. All participants will also receive free copies of the guide to being a trans* ally.
Connect, Accept, Respond, Empower: How to Support LGBTQ Youth
The Trevor Project
Danielle Orner, Senior Education Manager, The Trevor Project
This interactive workshop will provide an overview of suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and the different environmental stressors that contribute to their heightened risk for suicide. The first half of the workshop will focus on what research states regarding reducing the risk of suicide and promoting resiliency. After reviewing current research, there will be an emphasis on best practices and practical steps that service providers, educators, and others can take to promote a positive environment for all youth.
Creating Welcoming Elementary Schools for Students of All Genders
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Johanna Eager, Director, Welcoming Schools, Human Rights Campaign
This session will share key strategies for creating a gender-inclusive elementary classroom, including an exploration of all of the ways that gender may impact students at school. Participants will have an opportunity to practice interrupting gender stereotypes as well as sharing ideas for affirming gender-expansive and transgender students. Welcoming Schools elementary school lesson plans and up-to-date book lists that look at gender identity with children will be reviewed and shared.
Culturally Competent LGBTQ Care from Student Health Centers
National Minority AIDS Council
Alex Garner, Program Coordinator, National Minority AIDS Council
What can be done to ensure that Student Health Centers provide LGBTQ individuals with quality and affirming healthcare? How can we integrate LGBT experience and perspectives into the health centers?Are they prepared for HIV treatment, PrEP, trans health issues, etc? This will be an opportunity to learn about ways to be more culturally competent and exchange ideas on how to make student health centers more welcoming places for LGBTQ students to improve health and wellness.
Dangerous Therapy – Advocacy to Prohibit So-Called “Conversion Therapy”
Human Rights Campaign & National Center for Lesbian Rights
Alison Gill, Senior Legislative Counsel, Human Rights Campaign; Samantha Ames, #BornPerfect Campaign Coordinator & Staff Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights
So-called “conversion therapy” is a dangerous and discredited practice that falsely claims to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. These practices can lead to lifelong harm, including depression, anxiety, drug use, and suicide. Currently, five jurisdictions have passed laws to protect youth; however in the last year, 20 states introduced similar bills. In this workshop, national and state advocates will look at laws dealing with conversion therapy and discuss how to effectively advocate to protect youth from these practices.
Drawing Connections: Exploring the Intersections of Gender, Race & Sexual Orientation
National Education Association
Paul Sathrum, Senior Policy Analyst, National Education Association
This workshop explores the relationship and commonalities between gender, race and LGBTQ issues, with an emphasis on enhancing race and gender awareness when addressing LGBTQ issues in schools. By understanding and acknowledging the whole student, educators can foster a better learning environment that enhances student success. Participants will be provided with strategies and create action plans for addressing the whole student and creating safe and supportive schools for all students regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Effective Empathy – How to be a Better Ally
Winter Page, HRC Youth Ambassador; Paolo Veloso, HRC Youth Ambassador
This workshop will focus on how youth-serving professionals can equip themselves with effective empathy to be better allies, especially to LGBTQIA+ youth. We will focus on the three E’s of Allyship: Empathy, Education, and Execution. We’ll introduce Empathy as the foundation of allyship in connecting with marginalized communities. And from there, we will show attendees how to use Education as a building block to effective allyship. Finally, we will give attendees tangible tools to Execute a more effective, empathetic way of being an ally.
Empowering LGBTQ Youth with Tech & STEAM Education
LGBT Technology Partnership & Institute
Christopher Wood, Executive Director, LGBT Technology
The LGBTQ community is bursting at the seams with talented young minds looking for the opportunity to learn, engage and communicate over technology. For many, especially in rural communities, the tech sector could also be the perfect career. Educators, parents and community leaders have an opportunity to be the stepping stones to ignite the imaginations of these youth with an introduction to STEAM education in a safe, welcoming environment. Let’s launch STEAM education in your classroom, after school program, or local center.
Enrollment and Registration Forms: Best Practices in Higher-Ed and Youth Serving Organizations
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance
Jenna Cooper, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Nonprofit Leadership Alliance; Chad Nico Hiu, National Specialist, Diversity & Inclusion, YMCA of the U.S.A.; Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director, Campus Pride
Is your organization wondering how to include new demographic questions in enrollment forms? This is a key step in your overall strategy to create safe spaces for LGBTQ youth, and each presenting organization in this workshop will share best practices from their network and/or their resources developed to support their affiliated organizations. Come prepared to learn, and leave with resources you can put into action today!
Families Matter Part I: Increasing Family Support to Reduce Risk and Promote Well-Being for LGBT Youth
Family Acceptance Project
Caitlin Ryan, Director, Family Acceptance Project
The Family Acceptance Project (FAP) and the Ruth Ellis Center are collaborating to apply FAP’s research and family intervention strategies to help families to increase support for their LGBT children. This two-part workshop series will share FAP’s underlying framework to decrease family rejection and increase acceptance and support for LGBT youth, including LGBT youth in child welfare and juvenile justice systems and those experiencing homelessness. Participants will learn approaches to engage and work with diverse families with LGBT youth and will receive research-based resources to use in their programs.
Families Matter Part II: Increasing Family Support to Reduce Risk and Promote Well-Being for LGBT Youth
Family Acceptance Project
Caitlin Ryan, Director, Family Acceptance Project
The Family Acceptance Project (FAP) and the Ruth Ellis Center are collaborating to apply FAP’s research and family intervention strategies to help families to increase support for their LGBT children. This two-part workshop series will share FAP’s underlying framework to decrease family rejection and increase acceptance and support for LGBT youth, including LGBT youth in child welfare and juvenile justice systems and those experiencing homelessness. Participants will learn approaches to engage and work with diverse families with LGBT youth and will receive research-based resources to use in their programs.
Finding LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges & Universities
Campus Pride
Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director, Campus Pride
The Campus Pride Index and Campus Pride Sports Index are vital tools assisting students in finding LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities where the educational and athletic experience is more inclusive, welcoming and respectful of LGBTQ and ally people. This workshop will provide essential resources for LGBTQ and ally students to find LGBTQ-friendly campuses. Students, staff, administration and counselors will also find these tools valuable to improve their campus’ LGBTQ-friendliness and getting their college or university listed on the Campus Pride Index & Campus Pride Sports Index.
“But I’m an Ally!” Intersectionality & Privileged Identities
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Johanna Eager, Director, Welcoming Schools, Human Rights Campaign Foundation; Noel Gordon, Foundation Project Manager, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Everyone is rushing to be “intersectional”—but what does this mean with regard to the LGBTQ youth that we serve? This workshop will help youth-serving professionals unpack how our privileged identities may sometimes limit our ability to be effective allies to LGBTQ youth. Specifically, participants will explore how their own socialization has had an impact on their understanding of who LGBTQ youth are and what it is they’re facing. The workshop will close with a focus on developmentally appropriate “next steps” for each participant, many of which can be applied immediately, in particular, starting with the next conference session attended.
Gender Inclusive Schools in Action
Gender Spectrum
Joel Baum, Senior Director, Professional Development & Family Services, Gender Spectrum
This session will feature an engaging film and discussion about an elementary school that spent a year focusing on gender. Through student’s comments, observations of classroom lessons, and staff and parent reflection, this touching narrative provides a tangible look at how schools create conditions that welcome all students, regardless of their gender. The session will include a robust Q&A about how the school worked to intentionally incorporate gender into its school improvement efforts and what was necessary to sustain the effort.
Getting Bi+ (Pan/Fluid/Omni/Poly/Queer/Unlabeled)
Mary Hoelscher, Program Specialist, Out for Equity, Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota
From the White House to Miley Cyrus, bi+ people are moving an agenda. In this session, we’ll smash the myth of bi+ privilege, interrupt biphobia, and put our pansexual people in the spotlight as we rocket beyond sexual orientation binaries. You’ll leave ready to support those attracted to more than one gender in your GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance). We’ll highlight resources like HRC’s “Supporting and Caring for our Bisexual Youth” and a guide for making student groups bi+ affirming.
Growing Up Black and Gay in the Age of HIV
Abounding Prosperity, INC
PJ Moton, MSW, Interim Programs Manager, Abounding Prosperity, INC
Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the latest HIV Surveillance Report illustrates the HIV epidemic’s ongoing disproportionate impact on youth and young adults of color. This interactive presentation will frame issues confronting young, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the context of family, faith and school. A panel of young adult, Black MSM will provide a retrospective look as youth growing up gay in Black America and discuss the challenges they faced in their journey through adulthood.
Helping Families and Providers Support LGBTQ Youth
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Elliot Kennedy, Special Expert for LGBT Affairs, SAMHSA; Dr. Caitlin Ryan, Director, Family Acceptance Project; Dr. Judith Glassgold, Executive Director of the Public Interest Directorate, American Psychological Association
In October 2015, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a report: Appropriate Alternatives to Conversion Therapy for Children and Adolescents. This is the the first in-depth federal look at the issue of conversion therapy, and at healthy and appropriate ways of addressing issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression with children and adolescents. In this session, learn more about this Report and about the key messages educators, providers, and families should know in order to best support young people.
HIV, LGBTQ Sexuality, and Health
National Minority AIDS Council
Alex Garner, Program Coordinator, National Minority AIDS Council
LGBTQ youth face numerous issues in regards to sexuality – stigma, fear, HIV. How can we explore LGBTQ sexuality in a way that is sex-positive, protects against HIV, and values pleasure and intimacy? This session will discuss ways we can help young LGBTQ people feel empowered around their sexuality and prioritize sexual health while also understanding the sexuality is a key element of social justice.
Honoring Cultural Differences: Working with Asian Pacific Islander LGBTQ Individuals and Their Families
Marsha Aizumi, Author, “Two Spirits, One Heart”; Paolo Veloso, HRC Youth Ambassador
Do you have Asian Pacific Islander students or individuals that you support or want to support and seek to understand better their cultural uniqueness? This workshop will give you insight into some of the challenges that API LGBTQ individuals face as they come out to their families and perhaps some of the reasons that different approaches need to be created to reach API families. Resources will also be discussed, providing links, videos and websites from organizations that have created or compiled information in multiple API languages.
How to Lead a Gay Straight Alliance (YOUTH ONLY)
Laila Al-Shamma, HRC Youth Ambassador; Paolo Veloso, HRC Youth Ambassador; Valerie Weisler, HRC Youth Ambassador
This is a fun, active workshop for students who are leaders or members of their school’s Gay Straight Alliance. Attendees will receive handouts on how to run a GSA meeting, how to organize a school-wide social justice campaign, how to access local and national resources, and how to be an awesome and supportive peer-listener! We’ll cover each of these topics by identifying current problems then sharing ideas for change through discussion, brainstorming, and role-play. Come prepared to share and play!
How to Use Affirmative Language with your LGBTQ+ Child
American Counseling Association
Kristopher Goodrich, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, University of New Mexico
Learning that one’s child is LGBTQ+ can be a challenging experience for parents with a limited connection to the LGBTQ+ community. Parents can wish to be supportive and accepting, but not have the access to the language they need to communicate their support to their child. This ACA-sponsored workshop will provide an introduction to communication skills, drawn from counseling, which parents can implement to increase communication in their household. Practice sessions will be utilized, and handouts and resources will be provided to all attendees.
How to use Strategic Partners to promote HIV Testing (or Sexual Health) Messages within the LGBTQ Community
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Francisco Ruiz, Team Leader, National Partnerships Team, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Act Against AIDS (AAA) initiative seeks to combat complacency about HIV/AIDS by raising awareness among all Americans and reducing risk among high-risk populations, particularly LGBTQ youth. A new effort has been created as part of the AAA initiative that aims to increase awareness, reduce stigma often associated with HIV/AIDS, and create social norms around HIV testing. This workshop will describe the new initiative, the formative research used to create it and partnership strategies used to promote it.
Increasing Competence in Working With LGBTQQI Youth
Tonya Hammer, Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University; Kristopher Goodrich, Associate Professor & Program Coordinator, University of New Mexico; Hugh Crethar, Counseling Program Coordinator & Associate Professor, Oklahoma State University; Amanda Brace, Counselor, Counseling for Wellness; Colton Brown, M.S., Oklahoma State University
The counseling profession has developed competencies to guide and direct our work with LGBTQQI individuals, couples and families. While the competencies have been developed specifically for mental health professionals the content of the LGBQQIA and Transgender competencies can serve as a resource tool for all individuals working with LGBTQQI youth and their families. This session will present the competencies and provide guidance on how they can be useful for the participants in their work.
Interactions with the Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Systems for LGBTQ Youth, YMSM, and YWSW Who Engage in Survival Sex
Urban Institute
Meredith Dank, Senior Research Associate, Urban Institute
This presentation will focus on LGBTQ youth who become involved in the commercial sex market to meet basic survival needs, describing their experiences with law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and the child welfare system. Interviews with these youth revealed that over 70 percent had been arrested at least once, with many reporting frequent arrest for “quality-of-life” and misdemeanor crimes other than prostitution offenses. Youth described their experiences of being cycled in and out of the justice system as highly disruptive and generating far-reaching collateral consequences ranging from instability in the home and school to inability to pay fines and obtain lawful employment.
Intergenerational Queers: Creating Effective Youth-Adult Partnerships
Gay-Straight Alliance Network
Christopher White, Director, Safe and Supportive Schools Project, Gay-Straight Alliance Network; Thomas Rodriguez, Project Coordinator, Safe and Supportive Schools Project, Gay-Straight Alliance Network
Participants will explore why queer intergenerational collaborations can be challenging and learn strategies for creating effective youth-adult partnerships. Queer adults face a multitude of challenges when attempting to work with youth in their schools and communities. However, in order for adults to be able to support youth movements and young people, in general, they must know what those challenges are and how to overcome them. We will engage in self-exploration and bias exercises and develop strategies for establishing strong partnerships with youth.
Let’s Talk! How to facilitate difficult conversations
Teaching Tolerance, a project of Southern Poverty Law Center
Sara Wicht, Senior Manager, Teaching and Learning, Teaching Tolerance; Jarah Botello, Teaching and Learning Specialist, Teaching Tolerance
Educators play a crucial role in helping students talk openly about social inequality and discrimination. Talking about structural inequalities like gender discrimination and anti-LGBT prejudice requires our attention and reflection as well as courage and skill—regardless of who we are, our intentions or how long we’ve been teaching. Participants will receive a copy of Teaching Tolerance’s new guide with specific tools to self-assess and personally prepare for these conversations. You will be able to use strategies learned tomorrow to facilitate difficult conversations with students, colleagues and community members.
LGBT 101 Workshop
Resource Center Dallas
Johnny Humphrey, Program Manager, Resource Center
Attendees will gain a foundation of knowledge that will be built upon throughout the conference, including basic terminology, risk factors/behaviors, understanding transgender youth, and how to apply this knowledge as a provider (e.g. intake forms, school records, talking about bathrooms, using preferred names and pronouns). We will also be using The Genderbread Person to explore perceptions about gender and practice new knowledge.
LGBT Sports Inclusion
Athlete Ally
Ashland Johnson, Director of Policy & Campaigns; Hudson Taylor, Founder & Executive Director, Athlete Ally
Athletics should be open to everyone. Participation in sports improves health, builds character, fosters collaboration, and creates opportunities for teams and fans alike to celebrate diversity at all levels and become more effective contributors to society. Unfortunately, sports can be a very hostile environment for LGBT youth. This workshop will train participants in promoting respect and inclusion in sports and ensure that teams are a safe space for all to participate without fear of discrimination, bullying, or harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
LGBTQ-Inclusive School Policies: Strategies from Texas
Resource Center Dallas
Rafael McDonnell, Communications and Advocacy Manager, Resource Center
Since June 2010, Resource Center Dallas has led efforts for Dallas ISD, Dallas County Community College, Uplift Education charter school and Little Elm ISD to adopt LGBT-inclusive policies. Participants will learn how to adopt the Center’s advocacy and messaging to achieve similar results where they live.
My Name is What Counts
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Eric Stiles, Rural Project Specialist, National Sexual Violence Resource Center; Taylor Teichman, Outreach Specialist, National Sexual Violence Resource Center
The intersection of sexual violence faced by LGBTQ youth who struggle with stable housing is one that is often overlooked. This workshop will educate participants on the ways in which this combination creates vulnerability for youth and ways in which we can assist through trauma-informed services. This workshop will approach steps that every organization can take in fostering a better future for youth and will incorporate resiliency building, community collaboration, and capacity building efforts.
Navigating the “Human Barrier”: Overcoming Biases While Working with Schools for Trans Student Inclusion
Gender Diversity
Aidan Key, Director, Gender Diversity
Schools can be resistant to addressing transgender student inclusion without understanding the full reasons why. Surprisingly, these barriers are not unique to schools considered conservative. A principal may say: Why do all this for one student? We’re concerned about the safety of other students. An alternative restroom is a great compromise. What about the concerns of other parents? Gender Diversity will explore the origins of this resistance, and provide concrete ways to navigate successful transgender inclusion.
Neuroscience, LGBT Individuals, and the Brain
Jacqueline Parsons, Adjunct Professor, University of Texas at San Antonio
Recent discoveries in neuroscience suggest what many in the LGBT community already know about biological origins of sexual identity. Neuroscientists are studying the developmental stages of the LGBT brain, beginning at conception. There are differences between male and female brain structures, and recent studies suggest that straight males and lesbians have similar brain structures, as do straight females and gay men. We’re learning that the distress of social pain and physical pain activates the same part of the brain resulting in pain from social exclusion.
Preventing Substance Abuse Among LGBTQ Teens
Partnership For Drug-Free Kids
Sean Clarkin, EVP, Research & External Relations, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids; Julie Komorn Musicus, Director of Digital Communications, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids; Andrew Hertzberg, Director of Youth Programs, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
What are the unique factors faced by LGBTQ teens that lead to substance abuse? Find out the latest research, the substances teens are most likely to try, and the risk factors that can lead to substance abuse. We will share a range of strategies to help prevent substance abuse in LGBTQ teens. An overview of the Partnership’s Above the Influence Teen Prevention Campaign, which is being adapted for LGBTQ youth-serving organizations will be provided.
Positive Youth – How We Can Better Understand What It Means to be Young and Living with HIV
National Minority AIDS Council
Alex Garner, Program Coordinator, National Minority AIDS Council; Thomas Davis, Health Educator Specialist, Los Angeles LGBT Center
This session will be an opportunity to gain insight into the experience of HIV-positive youth. What does it mean to confront the various challenges associated with HIV – stigma, healthcare, relationships, family, and sexuality? How have positive youth demonstrated leadership and resiliency? How can we ensure that youth are empowered and healthy This will be a chance to learn from lived experiences, exchange ideas and devise ways to work together to expand the narrative of what it means to be young and living with HIV.
Queering Sex Ed: Organizing for Sex Education that Lifts Up All Black Youth
Advocates for Youth
Wesley Thomas, Program Coordinator, Advocates for Youth; Sophia Kerby, State Policy & Partnerships Coordinator, Advocates for Youth
School is supposed to be a safe haven for learning and creativity but for most of black queer youth it isn’t. Hostile school environments have negative outcomes, especially for queer youth of color. This workshop addresses the gaps that exist in comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) implementation in school and community settings, and the need for inclusivity in programming. Participants will learn how topics that include reproductive and sexual health & rights intersect within the lives of black youth and how to organize communities around CSE.
Religion Versus LGBT Equality
Teaching Tolerance, a project of Southern Poverty Law Center
Sara Wicht, Senior Manager, Teaching and Learning, Teaching Tolerance
It’s important to help students learn how to talk about resistance to LGBT rights. Facilitators will demonstrate that understanding how to talk about religious freedom and religious exemptions historically and today equips students and teachers with the necessary skills to be an ally without erasing the U.S need for religious freedom. This session will provide educators with tools to answer: How are claims for religious freedom being used to limit the advancement of LGBT rights? How do I teach about religious freedom and LGBT rights?
Safe and Supportive Working Environments: A Right for LGBT Educators
National Education Association
Paul Sathrum, Senior Policy Analyst, National Education Association
Educators not only use formal curriculum for educating their students, they are also role models. For this reason a safe and supportive working environment must be guaranteed for school employees to enable educators to be role models for LGBTQ youth . This session provides participants with ideas on how to create a safe & supportive working environment and protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees.
Safe Conversations: Listening to Our Students’ Codes
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Lisbeth Melendez-Rivera, Director of Latino & Catholic Initiatives, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Latin@s are led by two guiding principles: Family and Faith. Even in public school settings faith plays a large role in how students are supported or abandoned when the conversation turns to sexuality, gender identity or sexual orientation. This workshop will help teachers, school counselors and other support staff identify resources, language, and opportunities by which to support students and their families to achieve reconciliation and success for this historically under-represented population. This workshop will be especially useful for education professionals within large latin@ districts, growing latino districts, and private educational settings where educational staff is prone to be the supportive staff students look for.
Safety, Permanency, & Well-Being for LGBTQ Youth in Out-of-Home Care
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Alison Delpercio, Deputy Director, Children, Youth & Families Program, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
LGBTQ youth are over-represented in the U.S. child welfare system – nearly 20 percent of the youth in foster care, according to one study in Los Angeles. Too often these youth face discrimination and bias from services providers and peers. This workshop will review what we know about the experiences of LGBTQ youth in care and outline what every professional can do to advocate for LGBTQ youth in care.
Sex? Sexual Orientation? Gender Identity? Gender Expression?: Supporting Trans*itioning Youth in Our Classrooms
Teaching Tolerance, a project of Southern Poverty Law Center
Jarah Botello, Teaching and Learning Specialist, Teaching Tolerance
Gender identity is often framed as a binary system. This can be harmful for students whose gender identity or gender expression do not fit into gender binaries and whose identities don’t intersect according to heteronormative expectations. Participants will learn about gender diversity and how to help students at all points on the gender spectrum. This session will help educators answer: How can I support my students’ gender expression? How can I create a class climate where students can learn from and celebrate their gender identities?
Standards of Care for Supporting LGBTQ Youth: A Framework for Action
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Jeffrey Poirier, Poirier, Senior Associate, Research and Evaluation, Annie E. Casey Foundation
This session will review 10 standards and related strategies for creating safe, inclusive environments and providing appropriate care to LGBTQ youth in systems that serve them (e.g., juvenile justice, schools). These standards come from a 2012 book, “Improving Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes for LGBT Youth: A Guide for Professionals,” which the presenter co-edited. The standards are rooted in research and recommended practices for providing culturally competent care and improving LGBT youth well-being. Participants will receive a planning tool to frame and inform local improvement efforts.
Straight Educators For LGBTQ Students
Nicholas Ferroni, History Teacher, Union Township, NJ
A panel of educators and LGBTQ students discussing the importance of why educators, especially straight educators, must openly support their LGBTQ students and the LGBTQ cause at school and in their classrooms. Why it is imperative that all students, especially LGBTQ students, feel safe and loved when they enter their schools, and how educators play such a pivotal role and why they can’t be silent supporters.
Successful Gender Transitions in School
Gender Spectrum
Joel Baum, Senior Director, Professional Development and Family Services, Gender Spectrum
For many caregivers and educators, even the possibility of a young person transitioning at school seems overwhelming if not impossible. However, some transgender students are taking this courageous step and successfully transitioning while remaining enrolled in their educational institution. What are the key elements of a positive experience? What preparation, training and conditions need to be considered as students and their families make the difficult decision to support a child’s authentic gender in the classroom? Session includes overview of new guide, Schools in Transition.
Supporting LGBT Students: A Workshop by Youth for Educators
Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Gabby Rivera, Youth Programs Manager, GLSEN
We want more supportive educators. You want to be a supportive educator. Join our youth-led workshop to hear what we have to say about GSAs, bullying, curriculum, bathrooms, and what you can do in your school.
Telling Your Story to Cultivate Respect and Create Safer Schools for ALL Students
PFLAG National
Jamie Henkel, Equality & Diversity Partnerships Manager, PFLAG National; Beth Kohm, Deputy Executive Director, PFLAG National
Youth advocates are often asked to make the case for policies and programs that will create safer space for young people. This highly interactive session will teach you to think about your personal experiences, develop them into engaging narratives, and make a difference. With our opposition focused on shifting the debate using stereotypes and scare-tactics, LGBTQ people and allies need to know how to resist these efforts and how to reframe the conversation so that colleagues, friends and family understand the need for true equality.
The Ballroom Community Has Something to Say!
True Colors Fund
Twiggy Pucci Garcon, Program Officer, True Colors Fund
The House Ballroom Community has influenced cultures across the world for nearly a century. Widely recognized in the global documentary phenomenon Paris Is Burning and in Madonna’s smash hit Vogue, the House Ballroom Community has a rich and resilient history of its own. With emphasis on chosen family and healing through art, this population has been a home to thousands over the years. In this session, you will gain historic context of this performance art subculture from the early 1900s through the present and understand its influence on addressing LGBT youth homelessness through an intersectional lens.
The Dangers of Being a Transgender Youth in the Child Welfare System
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Angela Weeks, Training & Coaching Manager, Los Angeles LGBT Center
Among the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community are transgender youth growing up in the foster care system. Transgender youth are disproportionately represented in systems of care, report mistreatment, and are often unable to access placement options. As a result, transgender foster youth are less likely to find families than end up homeless, or involved with the juvenile justice system. This workshop will help attendees understand the current state of transgender youth in the nation’s child welfare system and ways to help.
The Lifeguard Workshop: A Training for Educators and Adults who Work with Youth
The Trevor Project
Danielle Orner, Senior Education Manager, The Trevor Project; David Bond, Vice President of Programs, The Trevor Project
The Lifeguard Workshop is a free online learning module based on The Trevor Project’s in-person workshop, which is listed in the SPRC/AFSP Best Practice Registry for Suicide Prevention. The Lifeguard Workshop webpage includes a video, a curriculum guide, lesson plans, and additional resources for educators. During this training, we will explore how to facilitate a Lifeguard Workshop in your classroom or on your campus. We will discuss how to address tough questions, how to make your classroom or campus a safer space, and how to conduct empathy building lessons.
The New Civil Rights and the Role of Gender and Sexuality in the #BlackLivesMatter Movement
Center for the Study of Social Policy
Jonathan Lykes, Policy Analyst, Center for the Study of Social Policy
This workshop will chronicle the work that Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) has been doing to further the #BlackLivesMatter movement and create the “freedom movement of our generation”. BYP100 uses a Black Queer Feminist lens, which seeks not only to include, but to center the experiences and analysis of Black, Queer, Trans and Women communities working towards radical change. For example, BYP100 has a current campaign against criminalization, which centers women and girls, trans, and queer folks as opposed to singularly black cis-men.
The Teachable Moment: Responding to LGBTQ and Gender Comments and Questions in the Elementary Classroom
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Johanna Eager, Director, Welcoming Schools, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Effectively responding to the teachable moment–in particular, related to LGBTQ and gender topics–models for all students that the classroom will be a safe and respectful space to learn and thrive. Welcoming Schools knows what questions and comments elementary students often ask related to LGBTQ and gender topics, and have suggested, age-appropriate responses to share with you. During the session, we will review and practice responses so that participants are prepared when the teachable moment occurs!
Trans Youth Generations: More Than One Trans Youth Experience
Gender Diversity
Gil Rich, Youth Program Coordinator, Gender Diversity; Aiden Key, Director, Gender Diversity; Micah Rajunov, Educator, Gender Diversity
There is no singular trans experience; transgender, genderqueer, or gender non-conforming children can vary significantly. This presents a great degree of confusion as schools seek to address variables such as disclosure, language, pronouns, classroom conversations, etc. A game plan established for one student can shift unexpectedly, leaving supporters caught off guard. Gender Diversity will explore different “generations” of trans children to prepare families and schools to navigate these complexities in more optimal ways for their students.
Underserved and Overlooked: Serving LGBT Youth in Community-based Settings
Grace Harbor, Inc.
Megan Boyd, Clinical Director of Evidence-Based Programs, Grace Harbor, Inc.
Clinicians that work in the community settings face clients with concerns from placement disruption, attachment, adjustment difficulties, domestic violence, or trauma due to abuse or neglect. These clients are often underserved and overlooked; especially regarding issues of gender identity and sexual orientation. The purpose of this interactive workshop is to review the concerns identified in current research regarding multicultural populations within the community-based settings. Through discussion and literature review, attendees will identify ways in which they can attend to this population in ethical ways.
Update on the Care of Transgender Youth: Social-Emotional Considerations and Medical Interventions
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health
Ximena Lopez, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health; Meredith Chapman, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health
This workshop will provide primary care providers and other interested health or school professionals, an overview on the approach to to gender non-conforming youth, understand when to refer to mental health providers or multidisciplinary programs that care for transgender youth, and understand the benefits of intervention with puberty suppression and/or cross-sex hormone therapy.
Using Online Training Tools to Develop Supports for Gender and Sexual Orientation Diverse Students in Your School
American Psychological Association
Lacey Rosenbaum, Director of Safe and Supportive Schools Project, American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) encourages schools to offer ongoing professional development about needs and supports for gender and sexual orientation diverse students to all school staff and students, parents, and community members. In this workshop, participants will experience APA’s new Respect Online Course: Preventing Health Risks and Promoting Healthy Outcomes among LGBTQ Students. Participants will learn how to create a professional development plan to bring the free online course to their schools and ideas for providing follow-up support to help colleagues implement recommended strategies.
Using the Law and Professional Standards to Support Safe and Affirming Schools
National Center for Lesbian Rights
Samantha Ames, #BornPerfect Campaign Coordinator & Staff Attorney, National Center for Lesbian Rights
All students deserve to learn in a safe and supportive school environment. Educators and other school personnel are critical to fostering and maintaining that environment. This workshop will give educators and other school personnel the legal and practical tools for affirming and advocating for LGBTQ youth in school settings. Presenters will cover a wide range of topics including cyber-bullying, privacy rights of students, starting GSAs, LGBT-inclusive curriculum, religious objections of students/parents, Title IX, and the needs of transgender youth, among many others.
Visibility, Stigma, and Support: A Conversation with Bi+ Youth
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Beth Sherouse, PhD, Senior Content Manager, Human Rights Campaign Foundation; Gabe Murchison, Senior Research Manager, Human Rights Campaign Foundation; Paolo Veloso, HRC Youth Ambassador
This workshop will explore how issues of visibility and stigma affect young people who identify as bisexual, queer, pansexual, or similar (“Bi+”), and what peers and adults can do to support these youth. Presenters will draw on psychological and sociological research to explain how experiences like “passing for straight,” exclusion by both straight and gay/lesbian peers, and a distinct coming-out process can affect Bi+ youths’ well-being. They will then invite Bi+ youth attendees to brainstorm strategies for making LGBTQ youth settings fully Bi+-inclusive.
What Do I Do? A Workshop for Understanding LGBT Youth & HIV
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Noel Gordon, Foundation Project Manager, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Even as we make tremendous progress in the fight for LGBT equality, who you are and where you live still has an enormous impact on how HIV is likely to affect your life. Through a series of interactive exercises and activities, this refreshingly honest workshop will explore the current realities of HIV – including new prevention strategies such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) – through the lens of supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
When Entertainment and Education Intersect: Creating Teachable Moments from Pop Culture
GLAAD
Zeke Stokes, Vice President of Programs, GLAAD; Danielle Moodie-Mills, Politini Media
From public figures like Beyonce and Caitlyn Jenner to shows like MTV’s Faking It and ABC Family’s The Fosters, we know that what LGBT youth and their peers see and experience in the media has an impact on them. For 30 years, GLAAD has been accelerating acceptance for LGBT people by leveraging culture to affect change, but the work is far from done. In an age of social media proliferation and the 24-hour news cycle, how can educators capitalize on what students are seeing on their smart phones, their television screens and their gaming platforms to elevate LGBT issues and drive acceptance forward? Our panel of experts and special guests will address those and other topics, as well as take your questions.
Why Have a Gay Straight Alliance?
Real Live Connection
Cozette Kosary, Executive Director, Real Live Connection; Ashton Page, Youth Speaker
“Why have a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)” will equip educators and professionals with the tools to start and support upcoming and existing GSAs. You will walk away with an understanding of what a GSA is, why it is important for LGBTQ Youth to be given this platform, and the resources to generate or support a GSA program.