Vanessa Ford (she/her) is an award-winning educator and author. Her children's book, Calvin, won the 2022 Lambda Literary Award for Best Children's Book. Ford was a classroom teacher for 14 years in DC Public Schools and her advocacy has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Newsweek and NPR. She was a founding member of The Human Rights Campaign's Parents for Transgender Equality Council and sat for two years on the board of the National Center for Transgender Equality. She lives with her husband and two children, one of whom is trans, near Boston. Learn more about Vanessa's work at [...]

Rebecca Kling (she/her) is an educator, organizer, storyteller, and advocate for social change. Kling served as the community storytelling advocate and director of education programming at the National Center for Transgender Rights, as well as on the leadership team of Harbor Camps, a sleepaway summer camp for trans and non-binary youth. She is also the co-founder of Better World Collaborative, a social impact consulting firm working to combat the recent flood of anti-trans legislation. She lives in Chicago with her two cats. Learn about Rebecca's work at [...] and [...]

Foreword xv

Author Bios xvii

Introduction 1

Using This Book 1

Focusing on Trans and Non-Binary Students 3

Becoming an Advocate Educator 10

Putting It into Practice 14

Part I Setting the Stage 19

Chapter 1 Background Information 21

A Brief History of Trans Identity 22

(Some of) The Many Ways to Be Trans 26

How Many Trans Students Are There? 27

Putting It into Practice 32

Chapter 2 Glossary of Terms and Definitions 37

Putting It into Practice 52

Chapter 3 Supporting Diverse Student Bodies 57

Race and Racism 58

Physical Disabilities 60

Neurodiversity 63

Economic Class 68

Family Structure and Dynamics 69

Putting It into Practice 70

Part II The Four Core Principles 75

Chapter 4 Educate 77

Determining Who to Train 78

Determining What to Teach 82

Determining Who Will Teach 89

Challenges Facing School Staff 91

Putting It into Practice 95

Chapter 5 Affirm 99

Affirming Policies and Legislation 101

Affirming Practices 117

Putting It into Practice 124

Chapter 6 Include 131

Windows and Mirrors 133

Inclusive Education Communities 136

Creating Inclusive Classrooms and Curricula 141

Creating Inclusive Extracurricular Activities 161

Putting It into Practice 166

Chapter 7 Disrupt 173

Responding to Students 174

Responding to Parents and Community Members 175

Responding to Anti-Trans Laws and Policies 180

Considering Legal Action 186

Advocating with Trans Students and Student Voices 186

Evaluating Your Comfort with Taking Risks 194

Taking Care of Yourself 196

Putting It into Practice 197

Conclusion 201

Afterword--Vanessa Ford 205

Afterword--Rebecca Kling 209

Acknowledgments 213

Appendix 1 Additional Resources 217

Books 217

Videos and Documentaries 218

Scholarly Articles, Research, and Data 218

Resources Intended Specifically for Educators 220

Sample Curriculum Resources 222

Courses and Professional Development for Educators 223

Model Policies, Assessments, and Guidelines for Schools and Districts 224

Real Policies and Guidelines for Schools and Districts 224

Professional Association Policy Positions and Best Practices 225

Other Government Docs and Resources 226

Resources for Students 227

Appendix 2 Professional Development Provider Options 229

A Queer Endeavor 229

Better World Collaborative 230

Glsen 231

The Human Rights Campaign's Welcoming Schools Program 232

Stonewall National Education Project (SNEP) Symposium 233

The Trevor Project 234

YES Institute 235

Appendix 3 Guidance Template for Classroom Libraries 237

Index 239