{"id":2336,"date":"2021-06-01T17:24:20","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T17:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/?p=2336"},"modified":"2022-09-27T14:43:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T14:43:11","slug":"affirming-students-in-the-lgbtq-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/affirming-students-in-the-lgbtq-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Affirming Students in the LGBTQ+ Community \u2013 Today and Everyday"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_section  avia-builder-el-first  inner-heading-area  container_wrap fullsize' style='background-color: #222222;background-image: linear-gradient(to right,#222222,#00aeef); '  ><div class='container' ><main  role=\"main\" itemprop=\"mainContentOfPage\"  class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-2336'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-ketvxyew-fd2803b4eb1c14056cc10c0b4eaa89a1\">\n#top .av_textblock_section.av-ketvxyew-fd2803b4eb1c14056cc10c0b4eaa89a1 .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:20px;\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n\n@media only screen and (min-width: 480px) and (max-width: 767px){ \n#top .av_textblock_section.av-ketvxyew-fd2803b4eb1c14056cc10c0b4eaa89a1 .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:20px;\n}\n}\n\n@media only screen and (max-width: 479px){ \n#top .av_textblock_section.av-ketvxyew-fd2803b4eb1c14056cc10c0b4eaa89a1 .avia_textblock{\nfont-size:18px;\n}\n}\n<\/style>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-ketvxyew-fd2803b4eb1c14056cc10c0b4eaa89a1 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock inner-landing-text av_inherit_color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2><strong>Affirming Students in the LGBTQ+ Community \u2013 Today and Everyday<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<\/div><\/div><\/main><!-- close content main element --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_2'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  inner-img-col  container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-2336'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_two_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6\">\n.flex_column.av-av_two_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_two_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6 av_two_third  avia-builder-el-3  el_before_av_one_third  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-khuoo1cl-ce781f115f1bca6731491b2a01d2617a '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>By Guest Blogger: Kelly Quindlen, Author of <em>She Drives Me Crazy, Late to the Party, Her Name in the Sky<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever seen someone who looks like me on the cover of a book.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was Lon\u2019s immediate reply when I sent him a picture of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Felix-Ever-After-Kacen-Callender\/dp\/0062820257\"><em>Felix Ever After<\/em><\/a>, Kacen Callender\u2019s 2020 young adult novel about a Black trans boy looking for love during a sweltering New York summer. The titular character, Felix, stands proudly on the cover wearing a flower crown and a daring smirk, completely at home in his body\u2014which includes visible red scars from his top surgery, a common medical procedure some trans youth undergo. Lon couldn\u2019t believe his eyes as he took in this blatantly-trans character on the cover of a bestselling book. As he said to me, \u201cWow, this is how other readers feel <em>all the time<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lon was 18 when we had this conversation. He had lived through nearly two decades of reading books with characters who didn\u2019t look like him, love like him, or move through the world like him. Can you imagine the kind of hunger that creates in a person? It\u2019s a kind of subconscious starvation, a deep longing to <em>see yourself <\/em>somewhere, anywhere. It\u2019s almost enough to believe you\u2019re not real.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kpeafa7a-c4462120bad1885f6903938e0e936161\">\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-c4462120bad1885f6903938e0e936161 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-c4462120bad1885f6903938e0e936161 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-kpeafa7a-c4462120bad1885f6903938e0e936161 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-6  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-2337 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-2337 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-1030x687.jpeg\" alt='' title='quindlen_authorphoto'  height=\"687\" width=\"1030\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-1030x687.jpeg 1030w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-scaled-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-1500x1000.jpeg 1500w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/quindlen_authorphoto-705x470.jpeg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-kpeaehhw-8125d6ec8e903c1f6b1598b6fc4a3b07 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Kelly Quindlen, Author of <em>She Drives Me Crazy, Late to the Party, Her Name in the Sky<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_3'  class='avia-section alternate_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  inner-img-col  container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-2336'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-9  el_before_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kpeafa7a-486b9db475c5049237c29c867d32bce0\">\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-486b9db475c5049237c29c867d32bce0 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-486b9db475c5049237c29c867d32bce0 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-kpeafa7a-486b9db475c5049237c29c867d32bce0 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-10  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-2342 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-2342 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-01-at-10.23.06-AM-947x1030.png\" alt='' title='Screen Shot 2021-06-01 at 10.23.06 AM'  height=\"1030\" width=\"947\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-01-at-10.23.06-AM-947x1030.png 947w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-01-at-10.23.06-AM-600x653.png 600w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-01-at-10.23.06-AM-276x300.png 276w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-01-at-10.23.06-AM-768x836.png 768w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-01-at-10.23.06-AM-648x705.png 648w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-01-at-10.23.06-AM.png 1296w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 947px) 100vw, 947px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_two_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53\">\n.flex_column.av-av_two_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_two_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53 av_two_third  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_one_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-khuoo1cl-ce781f115f1bca6731491b2a01d2617a '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>I know because I speak from personal experience. I came out as a lesbian when I published my first novel at age 25. It was a young adult story about two Catholic school girls falling in love, which prompted the questions, Who was <em>I <\/em>to tell this story? Did it come from personal experience? Was I queer myself? My public coming out was almost a necessary by-product of sharing that story with the world. At the time, I was terrified and riddled with anxiety. I didn\u2019t have a model for how to navigate the experience. I felt like I was walking through a fun house where the ceiling had become the floor.<\/p>\n<p>Today, I\u2019m grateful for my coming out journey. I am in my thirties now and immensely grateful to let the world see my whole, authentic self. I have since published two more young adult novels, both of which center on LGBTQ characters. I tell these stories for the young persons\u2014and even the older ones\u2014who are still looking for their mirrors.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_4'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_section  el_before_av_section  inner-img-col  container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-2336'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kpeam9ae-54f32f571e59f63a8f4e341b2deb4c83\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-kpeam9ae-54f32f571e59f63a8f4e341b2deb4c83{\npadding-bottom:25px;\ncolor:#222222;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-kpeam9ae-54f32f571e59f63a8f4e341b2deb4c83 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-kpeam9ae-54f32f571e59f63a8f4e341b2deb4c83 .special-heading-inner-border{\nborder-color:#222222;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-kpeam9ae-54f32f571e59f63a8f4e341b2deb4c83 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-kpeam9ae-54f32f571e59f63a8f4e341b2deb4c83 av-special-heading-h2 custom-color-heading  avia-builder-el-14  el_before_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-first  no-uppercase basic-title'><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag'  itemprop=\"headline\"  >What does this have to do with you? Absolutely everything.<\/h2><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_two_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6\">\n.flex_column.av-av_two_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_two_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6 av_two_third  avia-builder-el-15  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_one_third  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-khuoo1cl-ce781f115f1bca6731491b2a01d2617a '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>As an educator, you can be the person who guides your students to their hallway of mirrors. You do this by the way you dress, the way you speak, the stories you tell about your friends and family. That tiny anecdote you share with your ninth graders\u2014the one about \u201cmy friend Abby and <em>her wife<\/em>\u201d\u2014do you realize how deeply that can resonate? Do you see the mirror you\u2019re holding up for your queer kids?<\/p>\n<p>And of course, you are the steward of books\u2014especially if you teach ELA, but even if you don\u2019t. You are the steeple of knowledge they associate with <em>reading<\/em>, with <em>facts<\/em>, with <em>what\u2019s real in the world<\/em>. The books you choose for your next novel unit, or the small collection you keep in the back of your classroom for students to read after they finish their science test early\u2014these are opportunities to affirm and love.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kpeafa7a-4122de7ea07efc4adcbc80fb774353a3\">\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-4122de7ea07efc4adcbc80fb774353a3 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-4122de7ea07efc4adcbc80fb774353a3 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-kpeafa7a-4122de7ea07efc4adcbc80fb774353a3 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-18  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-2338 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-2338 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-1030x686.jpeg\" alt='' title='school'  height=\"686\" width=\"1030\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-1030x686.jpeg 1030w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-1536x1023.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-1500x999.jpeg 1500w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school-705x470.jpeg 705w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/school.jpeg 1698w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_5'  class='avia-section alternate_color avia-section-default avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_section  avia-builder-el-last  inner-img-col  container_wrap fullsize' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-full alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-2336'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_third-79ff81c021393065cee878051452f6a6 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-20  el_before_av_two_third  avia-builder-el-first  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kpeafa7a-986a7a7a865f5fecc1365fbe0d92f572\">\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-986a7a7a865f5fecc1365fbe0d92f572 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-kpeafa7a-986a7a7a865f5fecc1365fbe0d92f572 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-kpeafa7a-986a7a7a865f5fecc1365fbe0d92f572 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-21  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-2339 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-2339 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/pride-1030x673.jpeg\" alt='' title='pride'  height=\"673\" width=\"1030\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/pride-1030x673.jpeg 1030w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/pride-scaled-600x392.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/pride-300x196.jpeg 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https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/love-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/love-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/love-1500x1000.jpeg 1500w, https:\/\/nycsel.com\/defining-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/love-705x470.jpeg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_two_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53\">\n.flex_column.av-av_two_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_two_third-49f6e875884219cf77c24341e550af53 av_two_third  avia-builder-el-23  el_after_av_one_third  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-khuoo1cl-ce781f115f1bca6731491b2a01d2617a '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>This Pride month, I hope you will affirm your students in a myriad of ways\u2014including through the signals you send with your classroom library and suggested readings. If you\u2019re not sure how to build a more inclusive library, here are some tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Source your books from <a href=\"https:\/\/lgbtqreads.com\/\">LGBTQ Reads<\/a>, the definitive catalog of queer novels for every age and identity<\/li>\n<li>Read up on the <a href=\"https:\/\/diversebooks.org\/\">We Need Diverse Books<\/a> initiative<\/li>\n<li>Connect with your library\u2014either at school or in your community\u2014and ask the librarians to help you find material. You\u2019d be surprised how easily they can satisfy requests such as \u201cI need a Middle Grade fantasy for my trans student.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Create an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/hz\/wishlist\/ls\/WQLG0NSWLLJY?ref_=wl_fv_le\">Amazon wishlist for your classroom library<\/a>. I know many teachers who obtain LGBTQ books this way (and I personally have donated to their libraries!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are part of the LGBTQ community, Happy Pride! Remember that we can embolden our students simply by living our lives\u2014which are our own stories. If you are an ally of the LGBTQ community, Happy Pride to you as well, and remember that your job as an ally is to <em>affirm who your students tell you they are<\/em>. Sometimes you won\u2019t have the right words\u2014but that\u2019s okay, because you can point your students toward the books that will have them.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guest Blogger: Kelly Quindlen, Author of She Drives Me Crazy, Late to the Party, Her Name in the Sky<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":2339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Affirming Students in the LGBTQ+ Community \u2013 Today and Everyday - 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