INTRODUCTION TO LGBTQ
INCLUSION AND CREATING A SAFE
SPACE
Dalia Fleming
www.keshet.org.uk
• Who am I?
• Why am I here?
• Goals for today?
• Participants will have a basic understanding
of LGBTQ terms and issues
• Participants will understand why it is
important to consciously create LGBTQ safe
spaces at Camp and in Jewish spaces
• Participants will have tools to combat
transphobic/homophobic language
• Participants will have tools to support youth
questioning, coming out, or transitioning
Are these your goals? What do you want to get
out of today?
GROUND RULES FOR A SAFER SPACE
• Use “I” statements, speak from your own
experience
• Be respectful
• Of other people’s opinions
• Of the communities and real people
we are talking about
• Agree to disagree
• Practice self care
• Lie if you need to
INTRODUCTIONS
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Name
Gender pronoun
Something you wouldn’t know about me by looking
at me
CHECK IN ON VOCAB
Please look at the hand out of LGBTQI vocabulary.
Questions:
• Which of these words are you more familiar with?
• Which words are totally new for you?
• Does the inclusion of the word ‘queer’ surprise you?
What thoughts do you have about the use of this
term?
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
Almost two thirds (65%) of young lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils have
experienced direct bullying at school.
• 75% of young gay people attending faith schools have experienced
homophobic bullying.
• 98% of young gay people hear the phrases “that’s so gay” or “you’re so
gay” in school, and over four fifths hear such comments often or
frequently.
• 97% of pupils hear other insulting homophobic remarks, such as
“poof”, “dyke”, “rug-muncher”, “queer” and “bender”. Over seven in ten
gay pupils hear those phrases used often or frequently.
• Less than a quarter (23%) of young gay people have been told that
homophobic bullying is wrong in their school. In schools that have said
homophobic bullying is wrong, gay young people are 60% more likely
not to have been bullied.
• Over half of lesbian and gay pupils don’t feel able to be themselves at
school. 35% of gay pupils do not feel safe or accepted at school.
(Source: ‘The School Report 2012’ – Stonewall)
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WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
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34.8% of campers said their gender identity had a
negative affect on their time at summer camp.
•
75% of those who completed the survey
and identified as trans*/GNC did not make their
summer camp aware of their gender identity before
arriving at camp.
•
1 in 5 (21.74%) Trans*/GNC campers were bullied,
harassed, or discriminated against because of their
gender identity. None felt able to report it at the
time.
(Source: Summer Camp and Gender 2012 – Survey of 118 individuals over 18 in UK,
Canada, US completed)
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
The presence of supportive staff contributed to a
range of positive indicators including fewer reports
of missing school, fewer reports of feeling
unsafe, greater academic achievement, higher
educational aspirations and a greater sense of
school belonging.
(GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2011)
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT AT CAMP?

Campers are starting to explore crushes and dating

Camp is a break from “real life” and an opportunity to
explore different pieces of your identity

Being LGBTQ is an important piece of who someone
is, beyond just who they date

Many individuals who identify as Trans* or GNC
identify this way in or even before elementary school
PRIVILEGE STATEMENTS
•
What might some of us take for granted in our
every day lives?
•
What are some forms of oppression LGBTQ people
face?
GENDER TERMS
JEWISH GENDER TERMS
FOUND THROUGHOUT THE MISHNAH, TALMUD, AND MIDRASH
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Androgynos: A person who has both “male” and
“female” sexual characteristics.
•
Tumtum: A person whose sexual characteristics are
indeterminate or obscured.
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Aylonit: A person who is identified as “female” at birth
but develops “male” characteristics at puberty and is
infertile.
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Saris: A person who is identified as “male” at birth but
develops “female” characteristics at puberty and/or is
lacking a penis. A person can be “naturally” a saris
(referred to as a “saris chamah”) or can become one
through human intervention (“saris adam”).
PRONOUNS
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Ze
Hir
They
He
She
Just use
their name!
BATHROOM BREAK…
KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE
GENDERBREAD PEOPLE
YOU WEREN’T MADE WITH A COOKIE CUTTER!
TOOLS
Remember: there may be consequences if
you speak up, but there are also
consequences when you say nothing.
RESPONDING TO HOMOPHOBIC &
TRANSPHOBIC LANGUAGE
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Find a way to do this which is comfortable for you
and commit to doing it.
•
Sometimes a full discussion is necessary,
sometimes it’s not.
•
Respond quickly when you hear something, don’t
lose the moment
QUICK EXAMPLES

Did You know that that’s hurtful?

Hey (name) different adjective please!

Is that pen actually gay?

Excuse me?

What’s wrong with throwing like a girl?

Other favorites or ideas?
ASKING SOMEONE’S PRONOUNS
FIRST SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
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Do you need to know?
Is there someone else you can ask to not put the
individual on the spot? (This option may or may not
be the most respectful)
ASKING!
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Be discrete and private, but casual
“Hey___ which pronouns do you use”?
“I use (this pronoun) which pronouns do you use”?
DISCUSSING GENDER IDENTITY
DO
DON’T
Try really hard to use
affirming language and
the pronouns they
identify with
 If you mess up, correct
yourself and apologise
 Educate yourself so
your friend isn’t on the
spot to educate you


Ask any questions
about an individual’s
genitals
 Analyse how well they
do or don’t “pass”
 Make assumptions
about an individual’s
sexual orientation
 Out someone who is
not publicly trans
IF SOMEONE COMES OUT TO YOU
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BE SUPPORTIVE AND AFFIRMING!
Don’t question them (“why do you think that?” “Are you sure?”
“you’re too young to know that”)
Reflect the language they are using, don’t project your terms onto
them
Embrace not knowing/a continual process of discovering and
growing
Don’t pressure them to tell others, and reassure them that you
won’t either
Don’t tell them not to tell others (ex. “Don’t tell the cabin they won’t
want to be your friend anymore”)
If appropriate, find out if they feel safe or need support
If appropriate, offer them resources
Be available to check in in the future, and keep an eye out for
bullying
INTERSECTIONALITIES
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Multiple minority stress resulting from two (or more)
oppressed social statuses (Greene, 1997)
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Isolation and marginalisation in multiple spaces
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Connections in the right environment/affirming role
models can be very powerful
CHECK IN-HOW ARE WE DOING?
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What are we doing really well at camp to be
inclusive of gender diversity, varied sexual
orientations, and variations in family structure?
CHECK IN-HOW CAN WE BE MORE
WELCOMING/CREATE SAFER SPACES
How do we divide campers?
 Are we telling LGBTQ campers that this is a safe
place for them? How?
 If we discuss relationships or family structures,
what models of family/relationships are included in
the discussion?
 When we ask about gender, what do we ask, what
options do we give?
 Are our programs and activities (the ones you have
control over) inclusive of ALL campers?

SCENARIOS!
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Time to practice!
MY RESOURCES
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Dalia Fleming Summer Camp and Gender Executive Summary
(2012)
GLSEN National School Climate Study (2011)
GLSEN Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth
in Our Nation’s Schools (2009)
Jennifer Self PhD University of Washington Safe Zone Trainings
Kelly Shuff-Heck, LICSW Affirmative Counseling, Pittsfield, MA
Keshet Hineini Curriculum
Raimi Marx I Want Them to Know Who They Are is OK
Thegenderbook.com
Stonewall – The School Report 2012
news.ubc.ca/2014/01/20/gay-straight-alliances-in-schoolsreduce-suicide-risk-for-all-students/
Slides created with the support of Jessica Stein.
DALIA FLEMING
WWW.KESHET.ORG.UK