{"id":217,"date":"2021-02-15T09:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T14:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/?p=217"},"modified":"2023-08-29T10:20:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T14:20:09","slug":"fostering-an-lgbtqia-inclusive-learning-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2021\/02\/15\/fostering-an-lgbtqia-inclusive-learning-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Fostering an LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Learning Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cliff Rouder<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/teaching.temple.edu\/sites\/teaching\/files\/styles\/featured_image\/public\/edvice\/fostering-lgbtq-inclusive-01.png?itok=1fHVL_yE&amp;c=bc055c1528be3485a9904a8017b93351\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This blog post has been adapted from an article in\u00a0<em>Faculty Focus<\/em>\u00a0written by Cliff Rouder titled,\u00a0<em>Seven Ways You Can Foster a More Inclusive LGBTQIA+ Learning Environment<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>In this time of social unrest and physical disconnection from our students, we need to be especially mindful of creating inclusive learning environments. For all students&#8211;especially those from underrepresented and stigmatized groups&#8211;feeling that sense of belonging matters. That includes students who identify (publicly or privately) as LGBTQIA+. Creating an inclusive learning environment gives all students the chance to challenge biases, critically think and respond in a productive manner, and succeed academically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2011, Temple University contracted with a national leader in conducting higher education surveys to assess the LGBTQ (as it was then abbreviated) climate on Main Campus. Members of the Temple community were invited to participate, and 2,693 surveys were returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some positive results from this 2011 survey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThe vast majority of respondents would recommend Temple to an LGBTQ prospective student,\u201d which appears to jibe with the general finding that \u201cmore than three-quarters of all respondents felt comfortable or very comfortable with the overall climate at Temple.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So why the need to foster a more LGBTQIA+ inclusive learning environment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite some&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.templehealth.org\/services\/lgbtq-health\">proactive measures<\/a>&nbsp;Temple has taken to address the need, including the preferred name rollout (see the bullet point under Modeling Inclusive Behaviors below), our and other&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aacu.org\/publications-research\/periodicals\/lgbtq-campus-climate-good-and-still-very-bad\">campus and classroom climates<\/a>&nbsp;are not as welcoming and inclusive as they can be. A 2012 article about the survey in<a href=\"https:\/\/temple-news.com\/glbt-climate-survey-yields-generally-positive-results-leaves-room-for-improvement\/\"> The Temple News<\/a>&nbsp;reported that, &#8220;13 percent of respondents said that they had experienced &#8216;offensive, negative, or intimidating conduct that interfered unreasonably with their ability to work or learn on campus, and 18% said that they had seen or heard actions that created an &#8216;offensive, negative, or intimidating working or learning environment&#8217; on Main Campus.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2a79lEWSevM\">Intolerance, hate<\/a>&nbsp;and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PdeceIwsXCk\"> violence<\/a>&nbsp;persist, and<a href=\"https:\/\/suicidepreventionlifeline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/LGBTQ_MentalHealth_OnePager.pdf\"> depression and suicide<\/a>&nbsp;are still at disproptionately higher rates than for heterosexual counterparts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Living a lie every day by hiding one\u2019s identity is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.diversityrolemodels.org\/news\/hiding-your-identity-takes-its-toll\">stressful and exhausting<\/a>. Deciding who to tell means repeatedly facing the possibility of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2020\/05\/17\/856090474\/home-but-not-safe-some-lgbtq-young-people-face-rejection-from-families-in-lockdo\"> rejection<\/a>, ostracism, and potential violence. For those students who have started to live their truth after leaving home for college, having to return home for online learning could mean going back to hiding who they are.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All of these realities can be exacerbated if one\u2019s LGBTQIA+ identity intersects with an identity from another oppressed minority group. They can also be exacerbated by an intersecting identity in a community\/group that has historically marginalized people who are LGBTQIA+.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What steps can I take to create a more inclusive learning environment for students who identify (publicly or privately) as LGBTQIA+?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Include an open-ended question in a pre-semester survey<\/strong>, such as \u201cWhat would you like me to know about your identity, background, or needs?\u201d That gives students the opportunity to share whatever they\u2019d like you to know about interacting with them in class.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Familiarize yourself with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/teaching.temple.edu\/sites\/teaching\/files\/resource\/pdf\/A%20Guide%20to%20LGBTQIA%2B%20Terminology.pdf\">terminology<\/a><\/strong>. Language is constantly evolving. For example, queer was used as a slur against people who were LGBTQIA+, but has more recently been reclaimed by some, but not all, in the LGBTQIA+ community. Remember that it never hurts to ask a student first. If you do use a word inappropriately, humbly correct yourself on the spot. Then help correct others, if need be, in a positive manner.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Assess your own classroom climate for indicators of implicit bias<\/strong>&nbsp;(aka microaggressions&#8211;words and behaviors typically not intended to be hurtful but that nevertheless marginalize others) and explicit bias (overt expressions of prejudice) about gender and sexual orientation. Think about the language you and your students use. The well-meaning greeting, \u201cGood morning, ladies and gentleman,\u201d excludes people who don\u2019t fit into the female\/male gender binary. Are you addressing marginalizing language, and if so, how?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Serve as a resource.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Know your colleagues and the services they offer to support LGBTQIA+ students and the Temple community<\/strong>&nbsp;at the<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.temple.edu\/\"> Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership<\/a>&nbsp;(IDEAL),<a href=\"https:\/\/wellness.temple.edu\/\"> Wellness Resource Center<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.templehealth.org\/services\/lgbtq-health\/commitment\"> Temple Health<\/a>,<a href=\"http:\/\/counseling.temple.edu\/\"> Tuttleman Counseling Services<\/a>, and the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.temple.edu\/provost\/careercenter\/\"> Career Center<\/a>. Complete IDEAL\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.temple.edu\/diversity-education\/safe-zone-certification\"> Safe Zone training<\/a>&nbsp;and post your certificate of completion to demonstrate your allyship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Learn about events held on campus<\/strong>&nbsp;like<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.temple.edu\/lgbtqia\/outu\"> OuTU Fall Welcome Event<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/events.temple.edu\/ncow-annual-festival\"> National Coming Out Week<\/a>&nbsp;(NCOW),&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alumni.temple.edu\/s\/705\/alumni\/16\/interior_1col_breadcrumb_nav_social.aspx?sid=705&amp;gid=1&amp;pgid=12581&amp;cid=24213&amp;ecid=24213&amp;crid=0&amp;calpgid=3661&amp;calcid=14216\">Queer Connect<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.temple.edu\/lavgrad\">Lavender Graduation<\/a>&nbsp;and the activities sponsored by our<a href=\"https:\/\/diversity.temple.edu\/lgbtqia\/lgbtqia-organizations\"> LGBTQIA+ student organizations.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Identify businesses and organizations in your discipline<\/strong>&nbsp;that support their LGBTQIA+ employees or members. For instance, Queer Connect, mentioned above, is a \u201cpanel event that strives to connect students with peers, professionals and alumni to build their network while learning about a variety of skills necessary for navigating the workforce as a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Model inclusive behaviors.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Put the pronouns you use on your email signature.<\/strong>&nbsp;Doing so signals to students that you are sensitive to identities outside of the gender binary.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Refer to students by the pronouns they may indicate.<\/strong>&nbsp;Stay tuned for more details about Temple\u2019s upcoming rollout of the new pronouns option within TU portal and Canvas! The new rollout will allow students and you to identify their pronouns more easily, and that will help you use them and get them right! In addition to being able to see what pronouns your students use, you might also encourage them to rename themselves in their Zoom window so that they are not misgendered by fellow students. Note that different plural pronouns like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/words-at-play\/word-of-the-year\/they\">they<\/a>\u201d are now commonly used in place of the singular \u201cher\u201d and \u201chim\u201d to refer to an individual who does not identify as female or male.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Refer to students by their preferred first name.<\/strong>&nbsp;Students at Temple now have the option of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.temple.edu\/life-temple\/diversity-inclusion\/preferred-name-use#:~:text=A%20preferred%20name%20is%20a,form%20the%20full%20preferred%20name.\">providing their preferred first name <\/a>to be used instead of their legal name in Canvas and on course rosters. They may also choose to include both their preferred and legal name, in which case use the preferred name.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Assess your course content.<\/strong>&nbsp;Incorporate<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2015\/06\/19\/us\/lgbt-rights-milestones-fast-facts\/index.html\"> LGBTQIA+ history<\/a>, current events, and people who have contributed to your field into course content and assignments where applicable. If you identify as LGBTQIA+, consider whether self-identifying would support course content and be a resource for your students\u2019 learning. Remember that there can be risks as well as benefits to sharing this part of yourself, and thus should be done thoughtfully.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about creating an LGBTQIA+ inclusive learning environment, watch this&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oM_9my1CIlc&amp;feature=youtu.be\">video <\/a>created by the CAT\u2019s 2018-2019 Faculty Learning Community members and featuring Temple faculty, students, and administrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Clifford Rouder, Ed.D. is the Pedagogy and Design Specialist, Center for the Advancement of Teaching<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cliff Rouder This blog post has been adapted from an article in\u00a0Faculty Focus\u00a0written by Cliff Rouder titled,\u00a0Seven Ways You Can Foster a More Inclusive LGBTQIA+ Learning Environment. In this time of social unrest and physical disconnection from our students, we need to be especially mindful of creating inclusive learning environments. For all students&#8211;especially those from &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2021\/02\/15\/fostering-an-lgbtqia-inclusive-learning-environment\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Fostering an LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Learning Environment<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diversity-equity-inclusion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions\/218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}