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.

3 Key Narratives

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.

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.

Freedom to Learn & Teach Truth Day of Action

Some politicians are trying to censor the lessons taught in our classrooms, ban books, and exclude certain kids based on what they look like or where they live. They’re trying to divide and distract us from their failures to provide all of our kids everything they need to learn, grow, and thrive. But together we can make our voices loud and clear to protect the freedom to learn & teach truth.

We are moving forward to a better future where every student—whether Black, brown, or white, Native or newcomer, LGBTQ+ or differently abled—has the #freedomtolearn.

Please join us for the Teach Truth Day of Action June 10.

Here’s how:

1. Learn more about the Day of Action and how to plan an event.

2. Find an event near you!

3. Support the Week of Action on social media: #FreedomtoLearn #Teach Truth

4. Find Freedom to Learn sharable art

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.