How to Create an Inclusive Classroom | LGBTQ+

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 Creating an inclusive classroom for LGBTQ+ students


As educators, our responsibility is to create a safe academic environment where children can learn.  The content of a classroom comes secondary to many students, but their priority is feeling comfortable wherever they are.

It is not our job to judge a student based on their outward appearance or gender expression, nor is it our job to label students as lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or questions, intersex, Asexual or Agender.  

It is our job to respect our students as use their desired names & pronouns.  


But wait, are academics really secondary?

Yes. 

People need things like food, water, & safety in order to be ready to learn other material.  Not sure that's true?  Check out the Blackfoot belief system  which lead to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. 

We can all believe our material is most important - and, of course, music is!! - but our students take priority.  

How do I create a safe space?

There are loads of strategies that will help your students feel safe, both LGBTQ+ students as well as allies.

1. Educate yourself.

Acknowledge that you don't know everything - and that's okay!!  

  • GLSEN.org is awesome.  They have loads of resources for schools including a really awesome Safe Space kit so students know your space is welcoming.
  • Glaad has tons of resources centering on representation.
  • The Trevor Project focuses on mental health and offers a chatline for LGBTQ+ youth.

While it is not the responsibility of every LGBTQ person to educate the rest of the population, people within the community likely have great resources they're interacting with on social media, use in their classrooms, or in their personal lives.

2. Study LGBTQ+ musicians 

Historically, the creative arts have been a place of acceptance, self-love, and freedom to express one's self in authentic ways.  So, it's not a surprise that music rooms around the world have come to represent some of the safest spaces in schools!

  • David Bowie - Under Pressure
  • Demi Lovato - Heart Attack
  • Elton John - Your Song
  • Freddie Mercury - Bohemian Rhapsody
  • Hayley Kiyoko - Girls Like Girls
  • Janelle Monae - feat. We are Young
  • Lady Gaga - Born this way
  • Lil Nas x - Old Town Road
  • Sam Smith - Lay Me Down
  • Troye Sivan - Happy Little Pill
For those of you hesitant to incorporate pop, rap, country, or rock 'n roll or who prefer to stick to the classical genres, check out these composers who span centuries:
  • Aaron Copland
  • Benjamin Britten
  • Franz Schubert (Scholarly debated)
  • George Frederic Handel
  • Jean-Baptiste Lully
  • John Cage
  • Leonard Bernstein
  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • Stephen Sondheim

3. Read books with LGBTQ+ characters

Picture books are a gold mind.  Seriously.  Using books with diverse representation is an easy way to allow students to see themselves.  

Take "And Tango Makes Three" for example.  I use this book about a real penguin family from the Central Park Zoo comprised of 2 male penguins and the baby they raise together named Tango.  I use this book to teach Ternary form (ABA Form) with my mini musicians.  

Another favorite of mine is Julian is a Mermaid , a gender-expansive book that invites imagination and self-love into your music classroom.  In makes a great tie into parades & marches plus social emotional learning.

Isolating words or phrases to rhythmic practice can be done with any book.  While students study fairytales, perhaps use "Prince & Knight; the Tale of the Shadow King" to add another version of tales that can often be filled with princes saving princesses.  Pick up your copy here. 

Not every character needs to identify within the LGBTQ+ community, and the plot doesn't need to focus on someone's identity.  

After all, aren't we all a whole lot more than just who we love or the clothes we wear?!?!


4. Practice inclusivity

When you address your students, consider gender-inclusive terms such as:

  • Y'all
  • Peeps
  • Folks / Folx
  • Friends
  • Class
  • Students
  • Mascots (Seahorses, cubs, birds, etc.)
  • Squad
  • Pals
  • Kiddos
  • Everyone
5. Find allies

Teacher friends are always a good plan, but check in to see if your work besties might consider also putting up a safe space sign.   Administration & other staff members can be great allies to the LGBTQ+ community. 

While some members of the LGBTQ+ community may feel comfortable sharing certain aspects of their personal lives, remember that not everyone wants to divulge that information.  Honor those feelings and you're more likely to have their support, even if they do not come out at school.  

For those with children 10+, you may have a portion of the student body that wants to start a rainbow club, make inclusive signs, or help in other ways around school.

What works well in your classroom?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments.  

Musically,
Jaime

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