Curious, how many teachers and educators we may have here? Personally, I am an out trans public high school teacher in Massachusetts. This is for folks who work with children and young adults as professional primary, elementary or secondary educators, support staff, administrators, coaches, instructors...etc.
While this forum is perhaps not ideal for sharing this information, I do belong to several trans related educator groups that are private and have active memberships. What I found most distressing, while going through my own in-place transition at school, was that resources were essentially non-existent. I was able to connect with only a couple of trans women educators, however, all went stealth and changed not only school systems, but in many cases regions of the country, as well. Transition at work is high stress and difficult for most all. But there are road maps and many instances of successful transitions. Teachers though, remained an enigma as information about it, just plain either didn't exist, or was impossible to find. :-(
Questions like:
-who do you reach out to first?
-do it suddenly or slowly?
-same school or change schools
-who are your natural allies
-who do you need to be most concerned about (hint: usually parents)
-what resources are available
-what organizations can you reach out to
-what are the laws in your state
-what are your district's policies on LGBT, specifically gender identity and expression
-I am afraid of being outed...or...
-I transitioned, now what?
-Am I now the de-facto staff trainer for all things LGBTQ inclusion at my school (district)?
-what sort of gender inclusive curriculum is available to me for my students
-how can I (or should I) include trans dialogue in my classroom
If this thread grows here with interest, we can explore these issues and more that I am sure I have missed. If you would rather keep it private, reach out to me by PM. I will be happy to share information that I have accumulated over the years.
If this thread perhaps belongs in another forum, I invite it to be moved, but I feel it is best served here with all gender trans people however they identify or express.
stay safe, Christine Z
