LGBTIQ+ RESOURCES

Inclusive environments are important to help all people thrive in our community. On the SHFPACT LGBTIQ+ Resources page, you'll find information, books and other resources to help you make your school, workplace or home more positive and inclusive spaces.

Including Intersex

Including Intersex: responding to issues affecting the educational experiences of intersex students in Australia is a new resource filling a gap in information and guidance about the needs and experiences of intersex people specifically for the school and education setting.

It is estimated that intersex people account for up to 1.7% of the global population. Across all school levels and systems, this equates to around 1300 to 1400 intersex students in the school system at any given point in time (roughly 1 student in every 2-3 classrooms). This statistic means that educators have almost certainly encountered intersex students in their school communities, whether they were aware of it or not. It is important for school staff to be aware and inclusive of such diversity, especially given they have ethical and legal obligations to promote positive learning environments and model prosocial values that reflect and respect diversity in our community.

Including Intersex was developed and reviewed by intersex peer workers, and is a collaboration of two ACT community health organisations - A Gender Agenda (AGA) and Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT (SHFPACT).

INCLUDING INTERSEX RESOURCE

Supporting students affirming gender at school

GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE

The Good Practice Guide for 'Supporting students affirming gender at school' has been launched by the ACT Safe and Inclusive Schools Initiative. The Guide deals specifically with the ways school communities can be proactive in gender-inclusive practice, and support students who are transgender and gender diverse (TGD) when they decide they wish to share or express their gender identity at school.

GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE RESOURCE

Books that affirm LGBTIQA+ diversity

Rainbow Representation

The 'Rainbow Representation Books that affirm LGBTIQA+ diversity' has been created thanks to a generous grant from the ACT Government’s Capital of Equality Grants. The past year has been spent building an incredible resource bank for ACT School libraries.

Consultation and collaboration facilitated incredible feedback, suggestions and input from ACT teacher-librarians, Melbourne-based LGBTQIA+ book store Hares and Hyenas and passionate community members.

The aim of this project was to identify and supply books that positively address, reflect and include stories, characters and topics related to diverse family structures, rainbow families, people who are same-sex attracted transgender, non-binary, gender diverse and intersex. Also featured are non-fiction texts about LGBTIQA+ history and historical figures, celebrities and role models, and texts that address diversity and inclusion. Intersectionality was a key consideration with intentional focus placed on texts that portray a range diversity from writers with lived experience.

These texts have been captured in recommended resource lists that catalogue titles recommended by community members, schools, and those identified by SHFPACT and Hares and Hyenas.

In addition, a small subset of 10-14 titles were identified for each school level (Early Years, Primary, Secondary and College). These titles were purchased with grant funds for Hares and Hyenas and YOUth&I (a small intersex youth publication). Over 400 books were purchased, becoming 40 book packs that were distributed to ACT schools who applied.