Legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have skyrocketed since 2022. This national crisis is impacting higher education with restrictions on discussions of sexual and gender diversity. This presentation provides practical and tangible strategies to support queer and transgender learners and discusses the future of online education in exclusive sociopolitical contexts.

Since 2022, legislative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have more than doubled. You may have heard about the “Don’t Say Gay'' laws in Florida and the anti-trans bills in Texas, but the actual extent to which the legislation has been introduced and advanced federally, and in no less than 47 state legal systems is truly staggering. This national crisis is impacting higher education in unprecedented ways: public institutions are being barred from discussions of sexual and gender diversity, and feelings of safety, validity, and belonging are all cloaked in uncertainty. A barrage of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation targeting queer and transgender themes and topics (impacting all facets of life for QT people, but particularly learners in K-12 and higher education settings) has emerged within the past two years, and the impact is alarming: according to a 2023 national survey from the Trevor Project, “Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people said their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to anti-LGBTQ policies and legislation [and] Nearly 2 in 3 LGBTQ young people said that hearing about potential state or local laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ people at school made their mental health a lot worse” (Trevor Project 2023). The implications for online education are significant. Education does not, cannot, and will never exist in a vacuum. Bronfenbrenner’s social ecological theory (1977) illuminates the interconnected nature of all aspects of human existence and relationships–what is happening at the macrosystem level is deeply related to the lived experiences of individuals at the microsystem level, and vice versa. Even before recent legislative movements, a national study from Greytak et al., in 2016 found that a meager 26% of teachers reported that they were able to practice LGBTQ+ inclusion in their lessons with no barriers. The remaining 74% of teachers were worried about facing negative repercussions from school administration and/or from caregivers/surrounding school community members, had practical concerns (i.e., not having enough time or knowledge about LGBTQ+ topics), and/or held personal beliefs that LGBTQ+ themes should not be covered in the classroom (Greytak et al., 2016). As it stands now, individual instructors and administrators in many states are on the hook if they are non-compliant with queer- and transphobic policies instituted in schools, likely compounding the pressure they are facing (ACLU, 2023-24). As multiple stakeholders are encountering mental health concerns, termination of employment, and worse, intervention is needed to address the needs of both learners (LGBTQ+, or otherwise) and institution personnel. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that has come out this year alone has emboldened violence internationally. In Ontario, two students and a professor were attacked with knives during a gender studies course that highlighted questions and curiosity about the expansive nature of gender identity (Hauser, 2023). A majority of mainstream media coverage paints the issues of increased violence and discrimination as a “there-not-here” scenario–meaning that while reports emerge covering Florida and Texas’ bills, there is relative quiet about the reality that in the 2023 legislative session, 47 out of 50 U.S. states introduced at least one bill targeting LGBTQ+ rights, and there are tens of national bills that are targeting transgender rights specifically (ACLU 2023; Trans Legislation Tracker, 2023). A sense of belonging and celebration of queer and trans identity is necessary to inclusive and thriving educational environments and support broader system-wide change. Awareness must be raised and the comfortability of administrators, staff, and faculty in talking about queer- and trans-centered themes and topics must be elevated so that 1) legislation will reflect protective, generative practices that are backed by actual research, and 2) QT people (and allies) will feel and be safe and comfortable in online and other learning environments. The changes and practices covered in this presentation are intended to ensure that everyone both feels and is safe and supported by everyone else. Inclusive learning environments benefit the world at large, not solely LGBTQ+ people. A study from Snapp et al., (2015) centered the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula on feelings of safety for all learners within an educational environment, highlighting the benefits of celebratory lessons that contribute to loving and supportive educational spaces. The researchers found that inclusive and supportive curricula are most effective when they reach a critical mass within an institution (in other words, when inclusivity is built into the culture of the institution, not just sporadic among different instructors/courses) (Snapp et al., 2015). They also found that, on average, there is a positive correlation between the level of inclusive/supportive curricula and general student population feelings of safety at the institution. This presentation offers introductory contextual information on where the legislative and social climate currently stands, informs attendees of various strategies to support their queer and transgender online learners in the face of this legislation, and opens a dialogue about the future of online educational practices in tumultuous and exclusive sociopolitical contexts. Specifically, avenues for beginning to engage and support LGBTQ+ online learners will be discussed, including getting informed and building awareness, considerations and steps that can be taken at all levels of the institution to mitigate the damage of current legislation, and policy and practice actions that might be taken. Pedagogical practices for online environments that center the lived experiences of queer and transgender learners will also be addressed. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute and delve into the session topics more deeply in: - Scaffolded small group discussions - Engaging Mentimeter activities - A large group question and answer setting to build awareness of contextual diversity and ensure that the session is relevant and valuable to individual participant contexts. In this session, you will: - Receive an overview of these issues and how they are explicitly connected to your practice. - Gain insight into practical strategies to support all online learners at your institution with a focus on queer and transgender populations. - Build knowledge with fellow participants to foster continued learning and fuel future conversations. - Access a wealth of resources for supporting queer and transgender learners in and out of restrictive contexts. As a result of this presentation, attendees should be able to locate and access resources that will allow them to better support their queer and transgender learners, interpret the impacts of legislation as they relate to their practice, and identify concrete action steps to take post-presentation. References ACLU. “Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures” (2023-2024). https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. The American Psychologist, 32(7), 513–531. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.32.7.513 Greytak, E. A., Kosciw, J. G., Villenas, C., & Giga, N. M. (2016). From Teasing to Torment: School Climate Revisited. A Survey of US Secondary School Students and Teachers. Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). 121 West 27th Street Suite 804, New York, NY 10001. Hauser, C. (2023, June 29). 3 people are stabbed in a university gender studies class in Canada. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/29/world/canada/canada-stabbing-university-waterloo.html. Snapp, S. D., McGuire, J. K., Sinclair, K. O., Gabrion, K., & Russell, S. T. (2015). LGBTQ-inclusive curricula: Why supportive curricula matter. Sex Education, 15(6), 580–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1042573 The Trevor Project. (2023). 2023 U.S. national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ young people. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2023/assets/static/05_TREVOR05_2023survey.pdf Trans Legislation Tracker. (2023). United States Bills: Anti-trans legislation. United States Bills | Anti-trans legislation. https://translegislation.com/bills/2023/US