These professional development Zoom webinars are developed and shared by the Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students, administered by the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth with support from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. They are geared toward k-12 educators, but are free and open for anyone to register!
All webinars are capped at 100 participants, so please do not wait to register, and cancel if you cannot make it, as a courtesy to those who would like to attend. Some webinars will be released as recordings following the live event and made available on our YouTube channel.
*Please note that we are not able to issue PDPs or CEUs for these webinars at this time.*
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Webinar Recordings
Days of Action & Education
This session will support educators in thinking about school-wide events and days of actions that might be beneficial as we plan for the next academic year. Now is the time to begin thinking about LGBTQ-inclusive events and strategies to address topics related to student and family diversity. This session will help schools to think creatively about ways to ensure all students and families feel safe and welcome.
Watch a recording of this webinar here
Related Resources:
- Basic How To Guide: How To Participate in Ally Week (GLSEN)
- GSA Network Planning Guide
- The 2017 National School Climate Survey (GLSEN)
Student Voices: Leadership, Safety, Belonging & Allyship
Join us for a discussion with student leaders from across Massachusetts. Students will discuss a broad range of topics such as leadership, safety, belonging and allyship. Key resources to support students will be highlighted throughout this conversation.
Watch a recording of this webinar here
Creating Gender Inclusive Schools: Four Discrete Approaches
This session will highlight one of the resources available from Gender Spectrum. When thinking about the creation of gender inclusive schools, it is often helpful to consider the following entry points: Internal, Interpersonal, Instructional and Institutional.
Watch a recording of this webinar here
Related Resources:
- Gender Inclusive Schools Toolkit
- Understanding Gender
- Gender Inclusive Assessment
- Confidential Gender Support Plan
- Principles of Gender-Inclusive Puberty and Health Education
Effective Strategies for Supporting LGBTQ Students of Color
Racism, homophobia, and transphobia are commonly experienced by LGBTQ youth of color in schools. Join a conversation with educators from across Massachusetts about how we can create learning environments that begin to address some of the complex challenges that are uniquely experienced by LGBTQ students of color.
Watch a recording of this webinar here
Related Resources:
- Supporting LGBTQ Students of Color (GLSEN)
- Erasure and Resilience: The Experiences of Black, AAPI, Latinx, and Native and Indigenous LGBTQ Youth (GLSEN)
Fostering LGBTQ Visibility in Schools
The National School Climate Survey shows that just knowing that there are supportive educators at school can help LGBTQ students feel better about being in school. Visibility is key and oftentimes fairly simple. This session will highlight a variety of ways to be a visible ally to LGBTQ students, and share resources to bring to your own school.
Watch a recording of this webinar here
Related Resources:
- Safe Space Kit: A Guide to Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Students in Your School (GLSEN)
- The 2017 National School Climate Survey (GLSEN)
Promoting Resilience and Healthy Outcomes for LGBTQ Students
Hosted by the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth
This interactive webinar will highlight policies, best practices, and resources for supporting LGBTQ students and families, with a focus on transgender and gender nonconforming students. It will feature the experiences of preK-12 students, parents, and educators who have successfully navigated this terrain. Participants will learn strategies to foster resilience and provide support during this challenging time.
Watch a recording of this webinar here
Related Resources:
- Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students
- Web-based Resources
Previous Topics
Focus on Middle School GSAs
GSAs have a positive impact on student social and emotional wellbeing, this can positively impact their academic performance. The number of GSAs in middle schools is rapidly increasing throughout the country. The session will highlight effective practices for starting, strengthening and maintaining middle school GSAs, and how they differ from GSAs at the high school level. This will be a participatory workshop in which educators share practices they have found to be successful.
Related Resources:
- Web-based Resources
Starting and Strengthening School-based GSAs
Let’s begin to pave the way for successful GSAs (Gender and Sexuality Alliances) in the upcoming academic year. GSAs provide opportunities for students to be social, support each other and engage in school-wide activism. This 101-level session will provide an introduction to GSAs, will offer some sample activities for GSA members, suggestions about overcoming challenges, and ideas for how to successfully establish a youth-led and adult-supported space. We will also discuss ideas to connect virtually with students when schools are closed.
Related Resources:
Ensuring Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for LGBTQ Students
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education published a set of nine principles designed to ensure schools are safe and supportive learning environments for LGBTQ students. This session will highlight each principle and provide resources for schools to help achieve each of these recommendations.
Related Resources:
- Principles for Ensuring Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students (Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education)
- Policies to protect LGBTQ Students:
- Teacher training:
- Starting and running GSAs:
- Support families:
- Inclusive curricula and libraries:
- Review policies and practices:
Responding to Harmful Language
LGBTQ students frequently hear anti-LGBTQ language and experience name-calling and verbal harassment. Interrupting this harmful language is one of the most critical actions you can take as an ally. This session will highlight effective strategies for intervening when you hear anti-LGBTQ language and behavior.
Related Resources:
- Zero Indifference: A Guide to Stop Name-Calling & Bullying
- Safe Space Kit: A Guide to Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Students in Your School (GLSEN)
- The 2017 National School Climate Survey (GLSEN)
Supporting Students in Coming Out
As an ally, LGBTQ students may share information with you regarding their identity. This session will highlight strategies to respond, support and provide ongoing resources for students who come out to you.
Related Resources:
- Safe Space Kit: A Guide to Supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Students in Your School (GLSEN)
- Coming Out: A Handbook for LGBTQ Young People (The Trevor Project)
Practice Effective Allyship: The Basics of Terminology
One of the first actions of an ally to LGBTQ students is using accurate and affirming language to discuss sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity. This session will provide educators with the basics to better understand some of the complex terms students use to discuss who they are, how they feel most comfortable and who they are attracted to.
Related Resources:
- The Gender Unicorn (TSER)
- Gender Triangle (GLSEN)
- Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth (The Trevor Project)
Celebrating Gender Diversity in Schools: An Introduction for Educators
The basics of gender identity will be introduced, including the use of pronouns and their importance, what it means to be trans or nonbinary, and how to create school environments that are inclusive of gender diversity. There will be time for some questions, and resources for further learning will be shared.
Related Resources:
- Meet the Poster Boy for Obama’s New Trans Student Bathroom Guidelines
- The Genderbread Person
- The Gender Unicorn (TSER)
- Web-based Resources
Exploring Elementary School LGBTQ-Inclusive Student Support Clubs
All students require school communities where they see themselves and their families valued and reflected. Student support clubs in elementary schools can provide children with affirming spaces to discuss diversity, families and personal experiences. Join this online conversation about creating spaces for elementary students to connect, have fun and change the world.
Related Resources:
- Playgrounds and Prejudice: Elementary School Climate in the United States (GLSEN)
- LGBTQ-Visibility and Integration in Elementary Schools (GLSEN)
- The Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students (Commission, DESE)
- Welcoming Schools Professional Development Program (HRC)
- Ready, Set, Respect!: Elementary Tool Kit (GLSEN)
State Agency Trainings
In addition to trainings and webinars for educators, the Commission has developed a training for state agency employers, contractors, and grantees. The following topics have previously been presented in an online format. You can request a training by emailing commission@ma-lgbtq.org
LGBTQ Communities and State Services
The Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth is pleased to offer this training on LGBTQ issues that it has developed in collaboration with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services over the past three years. This training is designed for state employees, contractors, providers, and those who work at state-funded programs. This innovative training’s focus on Massachusetts law, policy, and data sets it apart as a unique opportunity for those who work for the state or for state-funded programs.