Y'all Means All
Inclusion is about understanding and belonging, and respecting and protecting LGBTQ families and gender-expansive children are inclusion in action.
LGBTQ+ families face common joys and challenges of parenthood alongside targeted discrimination and exclusion.
Melinda Wenner Moyer, a parenting and science journalist, and Abbie Goldberg, a professor of psychology at Clark University, share these insights about real allyship, questioning assumptions, and accessing resources to support LGBTQ families:
"Real allyship doesn’t just mean tolerance or acceptance. It means speaking up before there is a problem."
Advocating for curricular inclusion is a powerful way to ensure that lived experience is not erased.
Speaking out against books bans is a powerful way to be an ally because it's important for all children to learn about diverse identities and families.
Schools often make assumptions about the families represented in their communities because of their lack of experience with diversity.
"Simple changes require a rethinking of assumptions," and Moyer and Goldberg offer ways schools can question assumptions and increase inclusion. Schools can consider what options they give for parent gender on school forms and offer "parent 1, parent 2, parent 3" rather than "mother, father," and schools can consider what family structures are included in images on their website and school materials to be intentional about including diverse gender presentations.
Goldberg's website TeachAllFamilies.com offers teaching tools and resources for making schools inclusive of LBGTQ+ families.
Understanding and supporting gender-expansive children is a journey of love and learning for children and parents. Melinda Wenner Moyer and child and family psychologist Laura Anderson share wisdom and resources on how to support gender-expansive children and families:
Children who are exploring gender need connected adults who see them, support them, and seek to understand what their child is exploring and why.
Parents need space to process their own questions and get assurance and support.
They recommend the non-profit Gender Spectrum for resources and support for children, parents, educators, and medical and social service professionals.
Read more of Moyer and Goldberg’s conversation here, and read more of Moyer and Anderson’s conversation here to learn more.
Rebecca A. Weiner, M.Ed. is a dynamic educator and creator of Learn Play Grow Educational Consulting. She supports transformational growth for young children with diverse abilities and their families, teachers, and schools through play-based learning, parent and teacher coaching, consulting in schools, and neurodiversity-affirming inclusion support in early childhood programs.