1. The How and Why of Gender Inclusive Classrooms
Stefanie Davis M. Ed.
Update October 2016

2. Who am I? My name is Stefanie Davis *(she/her/hers)
I am a Social Justice Educator and a Preschool teacher
Areas of specialization: gender justice; gender inclusive classrooms; gender violence prevention; ableism; border identities
*Pronouns- we’ll get there
Master of Education in Social Justice Education, May 2014.University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Politics, (Critical Theory and Social Justice minor), May Occidental College.
Undergraduate Honors Thesis: “Moving beyond Brutal Boys and Girly Girls: An analysis of sexual assault prevention programs and the challenges created by norms of gender and sexual scripts in defining sexual assault as a societal and preventable problem”
High School Diploma
Williston Northampton School (Sep May 2008)

3. Introductions Name Why you signed up for this workshop?
What you hope to get out of this workshop?
Pronoun Etiquette Update:
Use “They” or someone's name until given another pronoun preference.
There is such a thing as pronoun privilege and in listening to my community unless there really is a lot of other things in place, this is what feels the most inclusive over asking for pronouns. I think that sharing pronouns on name tags or in s is a good practice for us all.

4. Flexible Itinerary

5. “During this time in history we like to pretend that there are only two types of bodies, male and female, girl and boy. But the truth is that there are lots and lots of different types of bodies. This means there are lots and lots of different ways to feel like a girl or a boy or simply a person on the inside of your body”
Hand out copies of Gender Now pages
What I like about this book is it is the only resource I have found that uses language geared towards early childhood and talks about bodies (sex spectrum) and feelings (gender spectrum)

6. Two Spectrums Gender Spectrum Sex Spectrum
How you feel: …like a boy …like a girl …like a boy and a girl …like a kid …like a person …like a guy The options should include boy, girl, both or neither
Bodies are have many sex characteristics and there are more than just “boy” bodies and “girl” bodies Helpful terms: Bodies with uteruses Bodies with Penises Bodies with Vulvas Use “some” and “many” Ex: Many mommies have uteruses. Some daddies have uteruses.

7. Sex Spectrum Hormones Gonads Genitals Chromosomes
Intersex or Disorders of Sex
2% - 4% of the population is intersex
Intersexuality occurs about as often as Cystic Fibrosis and Down Syndrome
Ryle, R. (2011). Questioning gender: A sociological exploration. Sage Publications.

8. Gender Expansive: going beyond “girl” and “boy
Pyne, J. (2014). Gender independent kids: A paradigm shift in approaches to gender non-conforming children. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality,23(1), 1-8

9. 1st group: “Princess Boy”
Jordan
identifies himself as ‘‘fancy.’
Jordan is clear that he is a boy, but he’s fancier than other boys.

10. 2nd Group: Not a boy or girl
“Why do you care[if I am a boy or a girl]? What difference does it make? Would you treat me differently?” -Raine
“Raine who prefers the in-between space. Raine’s biggest frustration in life is being asked to ‘choose.’”

11. 3rd Group: Transgender
A mother tells of her three-year old:
“Something had gone wrong in my ‘tummy,’ she said, which had made her come out as a boy instead of the girl she was supposed to be.  She begged me to put her back in my tummy to fix this terrible mistake.”
These kids “clearly and consistently” identify with a gender that is different from their assigned sex.

13. Bringing it home- to the Classroom

14. “When someone with the authority of a teacher describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing.” — ADRIENNE RICH, AMERICAN POET

15. Proactive Tools: illuminating the “hidden curriculum*”
Re-thinking classroom and curriculum to illuminate the school’s messages about gender and sexuality
fertilization process (E. Martin 1997).1 Pascoe, C. J. ( ). Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School (p. 27). University of California Press. Kindle Edition.
“..that schools are sexualized and gendered institutions, this chapter investigates River High’s “informal sexuality curriculum” (Trudell 1993),2 or the way sexuality is constructed at the level of the institution through disciplinary practices, student-teacher relationships, and school events. Pascoe, C. J. ( ). Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School (p. 27). University of California Press. Kindle Edition.
Other authors call this the “hidden curriculum” (Campbell and Sanders 2002; Letts and Sears 1999; J. Martin 1976). I choose to use Trudell’s term because I think what is going on in high school is less about uncovering the hidden than it is about the informal way teachers and students structure sexuality by drawing on popular and shared definitions. Pascoe, C. J. ( ). Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School (p. 195). University of California Press. Kindle Edition.
p.172
Whether or not they are teaching specifically about sexuality or gender, teachers need to be aware of how they contribute to the “hidden curriculum” (Campbell and Sanders 2002; Letts and Sears 1999; J. Martin 1976) of the classroom.
These sorts of curricular resources are produced by the Safe Schools Coalition ( Gay and Lesbian Educators of British Columbia ( and Southern Poverty Law Center (

16. (Gendered) Language
Think about when and how you, your students or books/songs reference gender…
What genders are animals assigned?
Do you every use “they” singular?
Are there ways you can change or discuss songs that use gender binary or stereotypes?
This does not mean don’t read the book, it means challenge/change or engage the book

17. Inclusive Alternatives
V.S
“boys and girls,” “ladies and gentlemen”
Sperm are fierce and full of agency, while going after the docile egg
“Students,” “friends,” “educators”
___________________________
If your textbooks use gendered language or stereotypes TALK TO YOUR STUDENTS! Challenge them to come up with alternatives or discuss it as a class, but most importantly allow students to see and know that you see the limitation and you don’t think it is okay.

18. Physical Spaces
What messages are your spaces sending about gender?/What could they say?
Wall coverings
Bathrooms
Future future thinking: Locker rooms, sports teams,

19. Resources for Teachers
Dude you’re a fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School by C.J Pascoe

20. Resources for the Classroom
Educational/documentaries
Tough Guise 2
Miss Representation
Killing us Softly 4
Nodumbquestions.com
Bullied: The Jaime Nobozny Storyhttps://vimeo.com/
Current Media:
Faking it
The Fosters
Orange is the New Black
Transparent

21. References
Crooks, C.V., Jaffe, P. G., Wolfe, D.A., Hughes, R & Chiodo, D. (2011). School-based Dating Violence Intervention: From Single Events to Evaluated Integrated Programming. In C. M. Renzetti, J. L. Edleson, & R. K. Bergen (Eds.), (2011). Sourcebook on violence against women (pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Koss, M.P, White, J.W, & Kazdin, A.E. (2011b). Violence against women and children: Perspectives and next steps. In M. P. Koss, J. W. White, & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.), Violence against women and children, Vol 2: Navigating solutions (pp ). Washington DC, US: American Psychological Association.
Pascoe, C. J. (2011). Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. University of California Press.
Sadker, D., & Zittleman, K. R. (2009). Still failing at fairness: How gender bias cheats girls and boys in school and what we can do about it. Simon and Schuster.
Stein. N (2005). Still no laughing matter: Sexual Harassment in K-12 schools. In E. Buchwald, P. Fletcher, & M. Roth (Eds.).Transforming a Rape Culture (Rev. ed.) (pp.59-74). Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions. (Original work published 1993)