Back to School: Top 10 Resources for Parents and Teachers of LGBTQ+ Youth
Lez be real, friends. This has been an intense year for everyone in our community, and frankly, the intensity has peaked during this past summer of 2023. From finding out SCOTUS made it legal for businesses to discriminate against us to Florida and.... well, that's all we need to say, just Florida. We are all feeling huge concern for our LGBTQ+ youth heading back into the classroom this fall. From parents to teachers to queer parents, the anxiety is big.
And we are here for you, fam! We have several resources to support you right now, bringing you the LGBTQ+ experts, ideas, tips, and tricks so that YOU can make the best decisions possible for your LGBTQ+ kiddo.
Starting with the most comprehensive, last fall we brought together 3 experts on supporting LGBTQ+ youth at school and featured them in a Pride and Joy Parents event. That event lives in our Pride & Joy Parent (PJP) event replays, a course here on our website.
Lots of the articles below reference speakers that spoke at those PJP events so you're going to find a wealth of knowledge there, just for you! To sign up for future Pride and Joy Parent events so you can attend live and get your answers right from the experts - subscribe to our PJP email list and make sure you're following us on your favorite social media platform (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and coming soon YouTube!). You won't miss a thing!
Without further ado, here is a round up of our best resources for parents, grandparents, teachers, and other loved ones of LGBTQ+, as we prepare to go back to school.
- The Safe at School event Fall 2022
- Creating Affirming Space with RaYnbow Collective - great blog post as well as an amazing interview with their President, Gracee Purcell on our podcast, Out of Queeriosity.
- Safe Intimacy and Healthy Relationships for our kids with Quinten Foster
- LGBTQ+ Resources for College Scholarships by C. Rizleris they/them, our Director of Operations
- SAFE at School: Meet Jennifer Boudrye - Create a Safe Space for YOU, So You Can be a Safe Space for Your Child
- SAFE at School: Meet Josh Covington - Starting the School Year Off Right: A Guide for LGBTQ Students and Their Allies
- SAFE at School: Meet Mo Bailey - Making Your Home a Place Kids Want To Be
- Check out Leaders for Inclusive Change - this class empowers parents and teachers with the information they need to know to hold safe space for LGBTQ+ youth. You can listen to a great podcast episode with one of the course creators here.
- Speaking of podcast episodes, this one brought in huge names to help parents in learning how to celebrate Pride to increase allyship in their communities, even and especially more rural and conservative communities. Prepping for Pride with Junior Mintt, Rae McDaniel, Kalyela Josephs, and more!
- This interview with a Pride and Joy Parent, Meghan in Colorado - dives into her experience advocating for LGBTQ+ youth in her school district.
Bonus: Also in our Pride and Joy Parent event course, you'll find the experts from Empathy Paradigm teaching us about Suicide Awareness and Prevention, as well as Megs Pulvermacher, LGBTQ+ high school psychologist, teaching parents about Self-Harm, how to spot it, and how to prevent it. This is the kind of information that saves lives and we are so grateful to each adult that takes the time to learn. THANK YOU!
While this list isn't exhaustive, it can definitely get you started. Is there a resource you still need or questions you still have? Email us at info@prideandjoyfoundation.com, we will assist to make sure you can find the help you need.
And please join us on Tuesday, September 19 in the evening for our next online Pride & Joy Parent event. We will be speaking with Nicole Gress, the CEO of Undead Voice Lab about the effect of voice on mental health - especially for our trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming youth. Tickets will release soon, everyone on the parent email list will be notified first so get on there! We can't wait to have you join us!
