Essential reading for educators and other school community members who are navigating the increasingly complicated laws and legal rulings related to LGBTQ students, employees, and community members. The book combines historical, contemporary, theoretical, and practical information.

Contents Series Foreword James A. Banks ix Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Necessary Tensions 5 Layers of Responsibility and Professional Resources for Nondiscrimination 9 Students’ Rights to Expression, Privacy, and Association 13 Preparing Teachers and Leaders to Be Advocates 16 1.  Background to LGBTQ Movements for Equality With a Focus on K–12-Related Issues 19 Key Definitions, Often in Flux and Contested 22 Opening the Subject of Sexuality and Gender Through Theory, History, and Political Movements 24 Overlapping Histories of LGBTQ Movements 27 Schools and the Histories of Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation 34 2.  Thinking Through Biases and Assumptions About LGBTQ People 37 Gender as Process 37 Sexuality, Normalcy, and Intersecting Differences 41 Transphobia in Schools 46 Queer Relationalities 49 3.  Specific School-Related Challenges Facing LGBTQ Students 52 Intersecting Harassments and Biases 53 LGBTQ Youth and the Challenges of Accessing Education 56 Resituating “Bullying” in Sexual Harassment 57 Another Form of “Not” Education: “You Can’t Say Gay” Policies 60 Recognizing Family Diversity: LGBTQ-Headed Households and School Exclusion 62 Living in Families Under Public Debate: Legal and Social Contexts 64 4.  Educatively Addressing LGBTQ Issues 66 Zero Tolerance and Exacerbating Distance 66 Sex and Non-Sex 71 Critical Queer Thinking and Queer Disciplines 73 Religious Tensions 77 Teaching and Learning for Ethical Relations 79 5.  Supporting Student Extracurricular and Creative Efforts to Educate Schools on LGBTQ Issues 83 Gay-Straight Alliances/Gender and Sexuality Alliances and Associations Across Difference 83 Gay-Straight Alliances and the Equal Access Act 86 Attempts to Restrict Gay-Straight Alliances 88 The Day of Silence: Resistance and Reconciliation (Hopefully) 90 LGBTQ Youth and Public Spaces 92 6.  Recognizing and Respecting Transgender Students 95 Learning About Gender 96 Anti-Transgender Rules From the School Board 100 Administrator Refusal of Family and Physician-Supported Affirmation 101 Watching Teachers Debate Transgender Issues 102 Transgender Students’ Resistance and Resourcefulness 104 Intersections and Transgender Theory 107 Conclusion: Unsettled Progress 111 References 113 Index 127 About the Author 137

“Now more than ever, K–12 educators need to read this book. In this updated edition, Mayo underscores that even as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning students face exclusionary and even life-threatening treatment inside and outside of schools, they also bring a wealth of resources from which educators and leaders can and must learn. In practical terms, the book will help educators at all levels understand why and how to provide support and advocacy for LGBTQ+ students and create educational environments in which diverse students can thrive.” —Finn Enke, professor of gender and women's studies, history, LGBTQ studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison