Movement Advancement Project | Community Acceptance: Resources for Communities Working with Transgender & Gender Diverse Children

Many people don’t understand what it means to be transgender or gender diverse, so some communities struggle with how to best work with and support children and youth who are transgender or gender diverse. This document, jointly created by the Biden Foundation, Gender Spectrum, and the Movement Advancement Project, highlights critical resources that promote community understanding and acceptance of transgender and gender diverse youth. These resources are primarily for adults to explain why community rejection is so devastating, why community acceptance is so important, and to provide practical steps for advancing acceptance so all youth can succeed and thrive. Learn more at www.advancingacceptance.org

Who are transgender youth, and what challenges do they face?

“Get the Facts About Transgender Youth” infographic.

What can you do to support transgender youth in your community?

It’s important to model gender-affirming behavior. Use people’s chosen name and correct pronouns and treat them with respect.
Read GLAAD’s “Tips for Allies of Transgender People.”
Read PFLAG’s “Guide to Being a Trans Ally”
Support transgender and non-binary resources, events, and spaces or organizations in your local schools and community.
Educators and staff can learn about concrete strategies for assessing and improving their school’s environment using GLSEN’s Safe Space Kit.
Schools, staff, and parents can support the formation of school-based organizations that affirm youth in their gender, such as GSAs (Genders and Sexualities Alliances, also called Gay Straight Alliances). Research shows that GSAs improve transgender students’ attendance, reduce the likelihood they will feel unsafe at school, and reduce the likelihood they will hear transphobic slurs at school.
For more information about GSAs, visit GSA Network.
Read the GSA resource “10 Steps for Starting a GSA.”
Teachers and staff can also read more about the impact of school-based resources and support on trans and LGB students in GLSEN’s 2017 National School Climate Survey.
Libraries, schools, community centers, and more can include books and other resources about transgender people and history, to better represent trans people and their experiences.
The American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Roundtable has a “rainbow list” of LGBTQ books for children and teens.
TransYouth Family Allies has lists of books for young children.
TransYouth Family Allies also has lists of books for older children/teens.
TransYouth Family Allies also has Recommended Reading for many ages.
Advocate for nondiscrimination and anti-bullying school policies that support all children, including trans youth, including nondiscrimination and anti-bullying policies.
Watch “Hallway,” developed by MAP and GLSEN which depicts the harassment transgender students often face when they need to use the restroom at school—and how school administrators and supportive students alike can help.
See Gender Spectrum’s “Transgender Students and School Bathrooms: Frequently Asked Questions,” endorsed by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, the American School Counselor Association, and other major educational organizations.
National Association of Elementary School Principals
National Association of Secondary School Principals
American School Counselor Association
Learn more about safe school laws in your state using MAP’s Equality Maps.
Learn about school climate in your state using GLSEN’s State Snapshots.
Advocate for your school or district to adopt this model policy, developed by GLSEN and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Check out National Center for Transgender Equality’s School Action Center.
Learn more in this guide from the ACLU, Gender Spectrum, HRC, NCLR, and the National Education Association.
Gender Spectrum has a series of videos and resources about creating inclusive schools.
HRC has developed lesson plans for age-appropriate ways for children to think about gender
HRC also has a “Welcoming Schools” decal and program.

Resources for specific audiences:

Sexual Orientation Policy Tally

The term “sexual orientation” is loosely defined as a person’s pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or more than one sex or gender. Laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation primarily protect or harm lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. That said, transgender people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual can be affected by laws that explicitly mention sexual orientation.

Gender Identity Policy Tally

“Gender identity” is a person’s deeply-felt inner sense of being male, female, or something else or in-between. “Gender expression” refers to a person’s characteristics and behaviors such as appearance, dress, mannerisms and speech patterns that can be described as masculine, feminine, or something else. Gender identity and expression are independent of sexual orientation, and transgender people may identify as heterosexual, lesbian, gay or bisexual. Laws that explicitly mention “gender identity” or “gender identity and expression” primarily protect or harm transgender people. These laws also can apply to people who are not transgender, but whose sense of gender or manner of dress does not adhere to gender stereotypes.

LGBTQ Issues

LGBTQ Movement Capacity

Voting & Democracy

Community Acceptance: Resources for Communities Working with Transgender & Gender Diverse Children

Who are transgender youth, and what challenges do they face?

What can you do to support transgender youth in your community?

Resources for specific audiences:

Stay Informed

A Brief Overview of MAP

Get in Touch

Get Social

Search Our Site

Login

Request User Access

Sexual Orientation Policy Tally

Gender Identity Policy Tally

Thanks for signing up!

Choose a State or Territory

States

Territories

Choose an Issue

Overview

LGBTQ Youth

Relationship and Parental Recognition

Health Care

Nondiscrimination

Criminal Justice

Religious Exemptions

Identity Documents

Overview

Relationship and Parental Recognition

Nondiscrimination

Religious Exemptions

LGBTQ Youth

Health Care

Criminal Justice

Identity Documents

Choose a State or Territory

States

Choose an Issue

Voter Registration

Representation & Participation

Voting in Person

Voting by Mail

Election Security

Independence & Integrity