Sex and Gender Based Systems

 Talking Points 

1. I found the PPSD policies hard to read. Everything they said and outlined for students deserve a safe and inclusive learning environment was great, but does it actually come to fruition? It states that all educators will have to participate in professional development on these topics, but do they? The policies seem broad compared to the reality which is much more complex. These written rules cannot account for every individual student situation, family dynamic, etc.

2. Both the PPSD and RIDE documents spoke about communicating different things to the families. These policies are trying to balance family involvement with protecting students who may not feel safe sharing their identity at home. Both documents are trying to support student well-being, but they emphasize different priorities; privacy versus collaborative communication. To me, it almost felt like they were keeping secrets  from families, even though it may be with good intentions.

3. I feel as though the queering our schools article really focused on building more inclusive communities and not just school environments. A lot of policies focus on bullying but as one labeled behavior when in reality we should be looking at the overall systematic issues such as sexism and homophobia. As educators, it is important to create supportive environments for all students and staff. We can do this by encouraging empathy and open dialogue towards these matters. 

Argument Statement

The PPSD policy argues that all students deserve a safe and inclusive learning environment free from discrimination based on gender identity or expression. 

The guidance from RIDE argues that schools must create safe, supportive, and nondiscriminatory environments for all students. It encourages schools to protect student privacy and comply with anti-discrimination laws. 

The queering our schools article argues that schools need to move beyond basic anti-bullying policies and actively challenge the assumptions that oppress LGBTQ+ students. It also emphasizes how educators should strive to build inclusive communities, openly discuss gender and sexuality, and intertwine LGBTQ+ histories and experiences into their curriculum. 

Making Connections

My school does not have a policy regarding gender identity, transgender, or gender expansive students. I work in a parochial school and in the Catholic Church, they teach that God created individuals as either male or female, emphasizing a biological, and spiritual unity that cannot be changed. The church opposes "gender ideology" and medical transition, but tries to emphasize treating transgender people with respect but I don't know how commonly that is practiced. A few years ago Target came out with a pride month campaign that included bathing suits. I remember one of my co workers, who makes her devotion to her faith very known, said she stopped shopping at Target because of it. I do not agree with her and thought it was a good thing they were celebrating pride, but she very much believes your sex assigned at birth is the only thing you can follow. She is a teaching aid and I think she makes great connections with the students but I wonder what types of things would be said to the students if they were questioning anything about gender. 

When I was student teaching, I taught a health elective class in a high school. My cooperating teacher had asked them what they wanted to learn about and one of the first units we did was talking about LGBTQ+ community and all of the terms and things that go with that. That was the first time I myself had really learned things like that. These terms and stories like this were never spoken about in my house or at school, being raised Catholic at home, being educated in and still teaching in a Catholic school. I still don’t feel comfortable speaking about these things because I feel like I still don’t fully understand but I’m interested to see all of your thoughts and experiences with this topic.

This topic also brought to mind the movie "She's the Man" with Amanda Bynes. She goes undercover and dresses as her brother for weeks just to prove that she is good enough to play against men. This quote from the movie is one of my favorites. You can watch the short clip HERE.