While this week concluded Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-19) and last month was recognized as LGBTQIA+ History Month, E.L. Haynes is focused on building an inclusive and welcoming community year-round. The piece below shares a moment of campus life that demonstrates how our staff and students come together to create a sense of belonging that enables every person to embrace who they are—in and outside the classroom.
It is lunchtime and a stampede of students are making their way to the high school cafeteria. On their way, many gather around a table in the high school lobby, anchored on both ends by teachers Tyler Jackson and Taylor Hall. Atop the table draped in a black tablecloth, there are tons of colorful buttons displaying a variety of gender pronouns. The spectrum of gender representation displayed across the table is as broad and diverse as the staff and student body it attracts.
There is a certain intrigue that the students possess while approaching. No one forces them to engage. They approach at their own pace and in their own way. Some with curiosity, while others with certainty. Some with questions. Some with confidence. Everyone gets to pick the button that best suits them, all without being prompted or forced. The process seems emblematic of how many of us navigate our own personal gender identities and expressions.
Gender pronouns can often be the first entry points to our identities. When we use pronouns that align with a person’s gender identity, we affirm their experience and existence. This sort of validation is not just significant for those who identify outside of the traditional ideas of gender. It also can serve as a reminder for everyone that identity can be complex and multilayered. Mr. Jackson conveys similar sentiments regarding our young male students. He expressed the importance of boys—especially those who are cisgender, or whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth—knowing that “gender pronouns are for them as well.”
“…gender pronouns are for them (cisgender boys) as well.”
Tyler Jackson, HS Clubhouse Advisor
For cisgender people, understanding and using inclusive gender pronouns can grow our empathy and awareness. It can promote a broader understanding of gender as a spectrum, rather than a rigid binary of boy vs. girl or man vs. woman. This sort of understanding is crucial in combating stereotypes about gender roles and allows for a more thoughtful view of our own identities as well as others.
By merely setting up the pronoun table, Ms. Hall and Mr. Jackson are encouraging our community to share parts of our identity. These conversations can help create an environment where everyone is given the space to be who they are and express themselves however they choose—an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging and safety.
Explore Resources for Families
Building a welcoming and loving learning environment at school begins at home. Families can visit the PFLAG Resource website to learn more about supporting an LGBTQIA+ child, including how to support a young person’s coming-out process. PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQIA+ people and their families. You will find many helpful resources through PFLAG, including those listed below.
- LGBTQIA+ Glossary
- Quick Tips for Supporting Your LGBTQ Kids-and YOURSELF-During the Coming-Out Process
- Join the PFLAG Online Community (Facebook Group)
- Join the local PFLAG Chapter
Written by Rasheed Copeland | Rasheed Copeland serves as the Operations Manager at the Kansas Ave Campus. When he’s not managing and fulfilling the operational needs of his school community, he enjoys writing and performing his own poetic works, blending creativity with leadership in all aspects of his life. He is a father and a multiple recipient of the D.C. Commission of the Arts and Humanities.
Editorial Fellows are E.L. Haynes staff with a penchant for storytelling, writing, and the visual arts. Fellows develop and publish original stories that amplify the many voices and perspectives of the E.L. Haynes community.