What Educators Should Know About LGBTQ+ Rights
LEGAL & EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE FROM THE NEA
This guidance answers frequently asked questions about federal protections for public school students and employees, the threats posed by state legislation, and resources to create an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students. This guidance answers frequently asked questions including:
- What employment protections do I have as a public school employee?
- What protections do my students have?
- Do educators have free speech rights to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community?
- How can I support my students?
Resources
- Educator Support for Transgender Nonbinary and Intersex Students, NEA Legal Update
Setting the Record Straight on the K-12 Schooling Executive Order - Young Adult Resource Guide/LGBTQ Resources, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
- Know Your Rights, GLAD Law
What Educators should Know About the Trump Administration's Gender Identity Executive Order And LGBTQI+ Rights
On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order, which seeks to regulate people’s gender and strip away protections against discrimination based on gender identity and expression. You should know that the president does not have the authority to rewrite federal civil rights laws through an executive order. Accordingly, the president’s order does not – and cannot – repeal existing laws that make it illegal to discriminate against transgender, intersex or nonbinary people.
Read NEA guide to Gender Identity Executive order
These checklists, provided by the NEA, offer guidance if you have been discriminated against or harassed based on your sexual orientation or gender identity.
Know Your Rights as an Advocate
