Equality Florida is the leader in providing LGBTQ culturally competent professional development to organizations across the state. Specifically, we work deeply within school districts to ensure the principals, assistant principals, counselors, psychologists, social workers, teachers, and school resource officers are prepared to build positive and inclusive school environments. Within the past two years, approximately 5,500+ individuals have already been trained in almost all Florida counties. Equality Florida provides the following trainings below. Please email ian@equalityflorida.org if you are interested in setting up a training within your district or organization.

LGBTQ 101

“LGBTQ Culturally Competent Best Practices Training” (1.5-3hrs)

This presentation provides an overview of vocabulary and information regarding LGBTQ+ identities. We will discuss how different identities intersect with one another and look at how youth are starting to come out and claim their identities at younger ages. We will then focus on the creation of better practices to make our classrooms and schools safer for all students. We will also discuss data from the 2017 GLSEN Survey and the Florida School Climate Survey, highlighting disparities among transgender and gender non-binary students in relation to their straight and cisgender peers.

Transgender Youth Needs

"Supporting our Transgender Students: Implementing a Gender Support Plan for Student Safety and Well-Being" (1-1.5hrs)

Well-being encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual health.  This training shares guidance that is designed to assist administrators, student support staff and teachers in best practices when assisting transgender and non-binary students and their families with their needs in schools.  Some of these topic areas are using affirmed names and pronouns, restroom and locker room usage, overnight excursion best practices, inclusive dress code policies, trans allyship, etc.

Discipline and the LGBTQ Community

"Tools to Protect our LGBTQ Students from Disproportionate Discipline" (1-1.5hrs)

Data shows us that LGBTQ students are disciplined at a much higher rate than non-LGBTQ students in our schools.  Over half (58%) of LGBTQ students who stated that they did not plan to finish high school said that hostile school environments were a barrier to completing their high school education. This reality often results in LGBTQ youth becoming involved with the juvenile justice system at disproportionate rates, especially our LGBTQ students of color.  Sadly, Florida leads the nation for arrests within our schools.  This training aims to reduce bias-based discipline and to model positive-behavior reinforcement patterns in an equitable manner across diverse student bodies.

Positive School Climate

 "Creating Safe and Inclusive Classroom Strategies and Pedagogy to Support LGBTQ Youth" (1-1.5hrs)

Beginning with the first day of a new school year, educators have the power to structure their classrooms to be welcoming, nurturing, and respectful environments for LGBTQ students.  Throughout this presentation, we will explore and share compelling classroom methods and strategies that are designed to empower LGBTQ youth and all students to understand and grow their respect, empathy, responsibility, intent and impact in nuanced ways.  We will also discuss the advantages of providing equitable access to GSA groups in our middle and high schools.

Gender Non-Binary Youth Needs

"Gender Non-Binary/Expansive Children: Understanding Needs and Supporting Gender Expansive Schools" (1-1.5hrs)

More of our K-12 students are coming out as gender non-binary.  Other terms that are akin to this identity may be gender diverse, genderfluid, gender non-conforming, and gender-expansive.  Oftentimes, adults who identify within the binary of being either female or male in a given society feel challenged when trying to understand how to best support non-binary students.  This presentation offers terminology and insight into the experiences of being a non-binary individual.  This is an interactive session wherein we will ask our audience to engage in fun and educational interactive activities along with our informative slide deck.

Anti-Bias/Anti-Oppression/Equity

"When Identities Intersect: Working toward Equity and Anti-Bias in Schools" (1-1.5hrs)

Diversity, equity and inclusion are words that we all hear on a weekly, if not daily basis.  Yet it is essential that we understand the differences between these terms in order to achieve continuous personal and professional strategies with which to comprehend individual, institutional, and systemic biases and oppressions.  This session will focus on the topics of power, privilege, and “intersectionality” and their effects on moving towards equity for all students in our schools.

LGBTQ Trauma-Informed Care

“Ensuring the Mental Health and Wellness of our Most Vulnerable Students” (1-1.5hrs)

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning and transgender youth face unique experiences and challenges in their schools, families, and communities.  Oftentimes, youth-serving agencies and schools attempt to support these young people without understanding the trauma to which LGBQ & T youth have been exposed, sometimes on a consistent or daily basis.  This training will provide information regarding different types of trauma and explore trauma-informed approaches that may offer better LGBQ & T youth outcomes when working with youth advocates.

LGBTQ Curriculum Integration

"Developing Schools that Incorporate LGBTQ Curriculum to Create Environments that are Inclusive, Responsive, and Transformative" (1-1.5hrs)

This training introduces participants to current and trending inclusive classroom curriculum that celebrates the identities, histories, and successes of LGBTQ individuals and movements. The conversation will also include how to specifically incorporate these various important topics to be aligned with Florida State standards.