Safe Spaces Save Lives

Sarah Harris

The 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health by The Trevor Project reports that LGBTQ youth who felt high social support from their family reported attempting suicide at less than half the rate of those who felt low or moderate social support. 

Unfortunately, fewer than 1 in 3 transgender and nonbinary youth found their home to be gender-affirming.

Despite not having the support of their families, some of these kids are able to live authentically at school thanks to welcoming environments created by affirming friends and school staff. These kids, the ones who find their schools to be safe and affirming, will experience significantly lower rates of suicidal ideation and self-harm.

Teachers must receive ongoing and data-informed professional development to better understand the gender spectrum so they can create safe learning environments for all students.

Many teachers across our school division are visible and vocal allies. These teachers, who signal their allyship to queer kids through pins, lanyards, badges, Safe Space stickers, and t-shirts, are letting kids know who they can trust to be their authentic selves with. We know that even ONE safe grown up can significantly improve mental health outcomes that can last a child’s lifetime. 

Protecting kids (even specifically "trans kids") is not a political cause and creating safe spaces for kids is not “woke.” It’s what teachers commit to when entering the profession. We must be mindful not to engage in the dangerous national practice of politicizing kids based on their identity. We must have the courage to speak out against harmful and discriminatory policies and practices and, even more importantly, back up our words with actions. 

We must simply create classrooms and schools in which ALL kids can be comfortable, safe, and ready to learn.