LGBTQ+ Support & Protection

How to use this toolkit

Read about the importance of supporting and protecting LGBTQ+ students, take action, and get involved with the movement
Find art to help you communicate your opinions and express your emotions
Learn how to talk about this issue effectively and respectfully, particularly with those who think differently
Explore resources to help you learn more about LGBTQ+ issues

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CONTEXT

We all deserve the right to live, work, and thrive no matter our sexual orientation or gender identities—no exceptions. But today, certain politicians are pushing laws that restrict our freedoms and divide us, so they can get and hold onto power at any cost—even if that means denying us the basic rights, resources, and respect that we all deserve.

Educators, parents, students, and communities are uniting across race, genders, and place to demand safe and affirming schools where all our students can learn, grow, and thrive. 

Now is our time to demand the fully resourced and supportive schools all our families need, and to ensure all LGBTQ+ people are free to be their authentic selves and pursue their dreams.

Please use the guidance in this toolkit freely and as you see fit! Share it with your colleagues and community, so we can all work together in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. We're absolute believers that if our words don't spread, they don't work and as such we are honored to have you use this language verbatim.

Narratives

How we speak about issues is of critical importance in activism. Use these narratives for creative and social media content, visuals, public messages, calls to action, spokesperson materials, and more.

6 Key Narratives

Freedom from Being Put in "Boxes"

Whether we are Black, white or brown, Native or newcomer, transgender or not, we want the freedom to be ourselves. But some people try to get and hold onto power by putting us in boxes based on what we look like, where we’re from, or our genders. We see this in how schools tell Black kids how to keep their hair or send girls home for the clothes they wear. And in how certain politicians exploit lack of familiarity with transgender people, excluding trans kids from healthcare, school, or sports. They stoke fear so we turn against some group instead of demanding what our families need. By joining together, we can make this a place where we are all free to thrive and support each other for who we are.

Everyone Deserves a Quality Education, Period

Educators want to provide every student with an accurate and quality education. But some politicians are pushing laws that restrict some kids' freedom to learn, excluding them from healthcare, school, and sports.

A Politically Motivated Fake "Moral Panic"

Politicians fuel divisions among parents by pushing laws that erase our history, from Selma to Stonewall. We are not fooled by their cruel and politically motivated tactics and will continue to join parents, students, and educators to make public schools places where we are all free to thrive and support each other for who we are.

A Distraction from What Really Matters

Politicians are exploiting lack of familiarity with transgender students to distract us from their failures to deliver for our families and communities. We must work together to force elected officials to address the real issues facing public schools, like solving the teacher shortage, fixing teacher pay, and providing all students with the support and opportunities they need to succeed.

The Right to be our Authentic Selves

Across our races, backgrounds and genders, we want to be treated with dignity and respect. But today, certain politicians are pushing laws that restrict our freedoms because of the color of our skin, what’s in our wallets, or because we are transgender. They exploit divisions and fears among us so they can get and hold onto power, denying us the basic rights, resources, and respect all people deserve. By [rejecting this division/passing protections against discrimination], we can ensure each one of us has the freedom to be ourselves, pursue our dreams, and have a good life — no exceptions.

Harnessing the Power of Young People

Young people across time, race, and movements for equality have always helped lead the way. But now as before, certain politicians are trying to get and hold onto power by silencing young people — stoking fear against Black and brown kids leading protests for racial justice, and taking advantage of unfamiliarity with transgender people to punish students for being their authentic selves. Whenever a powerful few have tried to pick and choose who counts, there have always been those of us who showed up for each other and built welcoming communities. Now it’s our time to show up, reject division, and chart a better future for all of us, no matter our ages, races, or genders.

NEA offers educators LGBTQ+ information, tools, and resources they need to support transgender and non-binary students, to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ history in their classrooms, and to stop LGBTQ+ bias and intolerance in our public schools.

Model Language and Resolutions

Use this suggested language and templates to advance LGBTQ+-inclusive policies in your community.

Model Legislative Language- Use this language to propose legislation mandating that schools teach an LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum.

LGBTQ+ issues letter template- Use this template to draft a letter alerting school officials to policies that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals. Letters should be customized to describe the particular facts and relevant laws and policies in a school or district.

NEA Model School Board Resolution- While they're often overlooked, school boards hold tremendous power when it comes to driving change in their communities. NEA developed a model school board resolution as a result of the Bostock Supreme Court decision. This model policy will help local districts to make meaningful changes at the local level to protect the civil rights of our students. Need more inspiration? Follow the lead of these school districts with LGBTQ+-inclusive policies:

Kansas- Olathe Public Schools (2019): Expanding Non-Discrimination Policies to include Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
California- Los Angeles Unified School District: Comprehensive District policies for transgender and gender non-conforming students and educators
Illinois- Chicago Public Schools (2016), Harlem School District 122 (2020), Berwyn South School District 100 (2015), Evanston Township High School District 202 (2017), Evanston/Skokie District 65 (2020): Comprehensive District policies for transgender and gender non-conforming students and educators
Canada- LGBTQ+ Policy

Update on Title IX Rules

Title IX, the statute prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, is the law of the land. The Department of Education is tasked with issuing regulations to effectuate this law. On January 9, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky issued a decision vacating the Biden Administration’s2024 Title IX regulations. While the 2024 Rule had already been temporarily enjoined in 26 states, this decision is the first final ruling on the merits, effectively vacating the rule nationwide and reinstating the 2020 Rule issued by the Trump Administration. It is important to note that LGBTQI+ students are protected under Title IX, and the 2020 Rule that is now in effect is clear about this:

"These final regulations focus on prohibited conduct, irrespective of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. . . . These final regulations include sexual harassment as unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that a reasonable person would determine is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it denies a person equal educational access; this includes but is not limited to unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature and may consist of unwelcome conduct based on sex or sex stereotyping. The Department will not tolerate sexual harassment as defined in [the regulation] against any student, including LGBTQ students." 85 FR 30026, 30179 (2020).

Use these resources to foster a trans-inclusive culture in your school.

Art to Share

Art is a powerful tool for change. The following artwork can be used for creative and social media content, visuals, public messages, calls to action, spokesperson materials, and more.