LGBTQIA+ Resources

• Gender: Gender refers to the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex. Behavior that is compatible with cultural expectations is referred to as gender-normative; behaviors that are viewed  as incompatible with these expectations constitute gender non-conformity.
• Gender identity: A person’s deeply-felt, inherent sense of being a boy, a man, or male; a girl, a woman, or female; or an alternative gender (e.g., genderqueer, gender non-conforming, boygirl, ladyboi) which may or may not correspond to a person’s sex assigned at birth or to a person’s primary or secondary sex characteristics. Since gender identity is internal, a person’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others.
• Gender expression: An individual’s presentation, including physical appearance, clothing choice and accessories, and behavior that communicates aspects of gender or gender role. Gender expression may or may not conform to a person’s gender identity. 
• Cisgender: Replaces the terms “nontransgender” or “bio man/bio woman” to refer to individuals who have a match between the sex they were assigned at birth, their bodies, and their gender identity. 
• Transgender: An umbrella term that incorporates differences in gender identity wherein one’s assigned biological sex doesn’t match their felt identity. This umbrella term includes persons who do not feel they fit into a dichotomous sex structure through which they are identified as male or female. Individuals in this category may feel as if they are in the wrong gender, but this perception may not correlate with a desire for surgical or hormonal reassignment. 
• Genderqueer: Refers to a person whose gender identity falls outside of the gender binary (i.e. identifies with neither or both genders). Genderqueers may also use the term “gender fluid” as an identifier but typically reject the term
  “transgender” because it implies a change from one gender category to another.

Adapted from: Key Terms and Concepts in Understanding Gender Diversity and Sexual Orientation Among Students

Image credit: TSER Infographic Series

Note from the TSER website (italics and bold added):

There are no “male/female” or “man/woman” pronouns. All pronouns can be used for any gender and are gender neutral. We also do not use “preferred pronouns” due to people generally not having a pronoun “preference” but simply having “pronouns.” Using “preferred” can accidentally insinuate that using the correct pronouns for someone is optional.

Everyone slips up from time to time, it's part of being human. Until you become practiced at using pronouns that are dissonant with your assumptions about a person’s gender, you are likely to make mistakes, it's how you respond to them that is important. In the moment we make a mistake, we might become embarrassed, defensive, dismissive, or even angry. Those feelings are normal, but can cause more harm than the initial mistake if we react to them.

For more information and practices on gender-affirming communication, please see: Finding Your True Voice: A Guide to Gender-Affirming Verbal Communication

Here are some steps you can take if you make a mistake and misgender someone:

• Apologize. A simple, “I’m sorry” will do. This is not a good time to express your embarrassment or explain why you misgendered them. Simply saying “I’m sorry” acknowledges that you recognize you made an error, and you regret any harm your error might have caused.
• Correct yourself. Again, keep it brief. If you used “she” to refer to a person who has designated “he” as his pronoun, simply say, “I meant ‘he,’” and move on.
• Do better. Mistakes are human, and the habits of deeply engrained gendered language are difficult to unlearn. But if you repeatedly misgender your peers/colleagues, it appears to them that you don’t respect them enough to put in the necessary effort. 
• Center their feelings. If the person you misgendered seems noticeably upset, follow-up with them in private. Again, this isn’t a chance for you to be defensive or focus on your guilt or how hard this is for you. Nor is it appropriate to ask the person to explain why your mistake upset them. You want to avoid putting the person in a position in which they have to prioritize your feelings and needs over their own. Make your follow-up about their needs and how you can best support them.

Adapted from: University of Michigan - Gender Diversity and Pronouns

Incorporate gender pronouns in everyday use with the following strategies:

• Edit your email signature to include your pronouns
• Verbal introductions and check-ins are great opportunities to solicit gender pronouns. As names and pronouns can change over time, it is preferable to regularly incorporate these questions into meetings and introductions. Asking about a person's pronouns may initially feel awkward or uncomfortable, but it is preferable to making hurtful assumptions and using the wrong pronoun. Here are some ways you can do this:
  • "Can you remind me which pronouns you like for yourself?"
  • "My name is Joshua and my pronouns are he, him, and his. What about you?"
  • In a group setting, start the introductions with: "Before we begin, we’d like to go around and share our names and personal pronouns. For those who haven’t done this before, this is a way that we can avoid assumptions, particularly about gender."

Ways to make language more inclusive:

Use the phrase “Hey, everyone”  or "How are all y'all doing?" in a group setting instead of “Hey guys!” or “Hey ladies!" or "How are you guys doing?"

Instead of “yes, sir” or “thank you, ma’am” or other language that makes gender-based assumptions, you could simply communicate:

• Good morning!
• Thank you very much.
• It’s a pleasure.
• How can I be of assistance today?
• Could I help the next guest?
• Yes, please.

Instead of calling upon or remarking about a particular “man” or “woman” (who has not disclosed that identity):

• The person in the red shirt
• ​​​​​​​The person with their hand raised
• The person over here (gesturing)

Instead of “he or she” or “s/he” (when speaking of an unknown or universal person):

• They
• ​​​​​​​That person
• The patron
• The guest

Adapted from: University of California San Fracisco LGBT Resource Center and mypronouns.org

To create a classroom that is inclusive of all genders, evaluate your concrete, day-to-day classroom practices. Here are some suggestions for assessment and ways to work toward making your classroom gender-inclusive:

• Conduct a visual audit of your classroom to examine your wall posters and other visible materials. Do they represent individuals with diverse gender expressions? Are there portrayals of nontraditional families or families with LGBTQ members?
• Do not separate students according to gender. Dividing students along binary lines only enforces feelings of difference. When dividing students into teams, for partner work or to form a line, use rows, table groups or sides of the room.
• In casual conversations with students, don’t make assumptions based on gender such as, “boys will be boys” or “girls love to gossip.” Never tease or joke around with students in a way that presumes cisgender identity or heterosexual orientation.
• Encourage all students to try different types of activities. Do not ask for a group of “strong guys” to help carry furniture or “artistic ladies” to decorate a poster. Include everyone in a wide range of classroom activities and offer equitable opportunity for participation.
• Have students fill out a “getting to know you” form on the first day or over email before the first day of class. The form can include a line to indicate the name on record with the university, the name they want you and their peers to use with them, and the pronouns they designate for use by the people in this class. Make clear that you will take attendance with this form, so students can be sure that you recognize any name discrepancies without them having to indicate those discrepancies out loud.
• Introduce yourself with your pronouns. (ex: “My name is Alex, and I use he/his pronouns”), and then have students do the same. This normalizes the practice of introducing oneself with pronouns, instead of making it something only transgender students have to do. It also sets up an expectation that everyone in the class should commit to using the pronouns each student designates for themselves. Please keep in mind that it should not be required that all students declare their pronouns.
• Have students make name-tags or name tents that include their pronouns. This can be helpful for building cognitive links between the student, their name, and their pronouns.

• Make your course policies and language trans-inclusive in your syllabus. Consider including:

  • Specific ground rules about respecting designated pronouns and other gendered language

  • Resources that will be helpful for LGBTQ+ students in the resources section of your syllabus

  • Instructions on how to change designated pronouns in Canvas 

Adapted from: University of California San Fracisco LGBT Resource Center, Teaching Tolerance Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students, and Statement on Gender and Language