Monthly Resources – November 2022
Published November 1, 2022

November is Transgender Awareness Month

November is Transgender Awareness month, a great time to review our responsibilities to youth who are transgender, and to seek expert advice about fulfilling these responsibilities. Here are a few key points quoted from the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Gender-Inclusive Schools webpage:

• “All students have the rights to be treated consistent with their gender identity at school.”
• “Washington public schools have a responsibility to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students, including transgender and gender-expansive students.”
• “In Washington public schools, students have the right to be addressed by their requested name, pronoun (e.g., he/him, she/her, they/them, etc.), and gender designation.”
• “School dress codes should be gender-neutral and should not restrict a student’s clothing choices on the basis of gender.”
• “Public schools must allow students to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity.”
• “Public schools should provide access to the locker room that corresponds to a student’s gender identity.”

For greater explanation, please see OSPI’s Gender-Inclusive Schools: Resources for School Districts webpage.

The importance and opportunity in supporting our transgender youth cannot be understated – the risk of death by suicide for LGBTQ+ youth is four times higher than others to die by suicide if they do not have care and support from friends and school personnel. Without care and support from family, they are eight times more likely to die by suicide. These risks are even higher for transgender youth than for LGBTQ+ youth in aggregate.

To learn how educators and other school personnel can best support transgender youth, we consulted Light Estrada Gonzalez of Children’s Home Society. Light has been the facilitator of Triple Point NCW since its beginning in 2020. Light uses they and them pronouns.

We asked Light for recommendations from Triple Point NCW on how educators and other school personnel can best support youth who are transgender. Light recommends the following:

Triple Point, a program of peer and professional support for LGBTQ+ youth, began in Vancouver, Washington, in 1996, and has been operating in Walla Walla since 2006. Just two years ago, in 2020, Triple Point became available in North Central Washington via Children’s Home Society.

Youth from ages 12 – 18, who reside in Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan Counties, and who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and more, can now attend Triple Point peer support groups and social events. These are available both virtually and in-person.

Participants can also receive resources and referrals well aligned with their needs. Light Estrada, whom we consulted about transgender awareness, has served as the Triple Point NCW Family Support Specialist since the program’s implementation.

Light tells us that Triple Point NCW serves from ten to fifteen youth each month. Services are free of charge. Parent permission is required for twelve-year-old children to participate. Virtual groups and social events are attended mostly by youth who live some distance from Wenatchee. In-person meetings are held at Wenatchee YMCA Teen Center in Wenatchee, and are attended mostly by youth who live in or near Wenatchee.

Once a student decides that they would like to participate in Triple Point NCW, they can contact Light via email: light.estrada@chs-wa.org or by phone: (509) 607-6547.

Many teachers ask students to introduce themselves both to their entire classes and, via a confidential form, privately to the teacher only.

Such confidential forms might ask, “Is there anything you want me, your teacher, to know about you?”

The answer may or may not have anything to do with gender identity or sexual orientation. But making the form inclusive will send the message that you and your classroom are safe and affirming. Include spaces for students to provide, if they choose, their:

• Preferred name.
• Preferred pronouns.
• Gender identity (Provide a space to fill in rather than a checklist.)
• Name and pronouns to use when speaking to your parent/guardian. This is for safety!

Triple Point provides resources to LGBTQ+ school staff at no charge, and provides its Creating Safe Spaces training at no charge. Triple Point NCW can work together with schools and their staff to create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth. See the training description below.

Creating Safe Spaces: A LGBTQ+ Discussion. Training covers statistics, terms and definitions, difference between sex assigned at birth and gender, pronouns, misgendering, deadnaming, how to be a better ally, and Q&A.