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Aired Oct 20, 2022

Non-Binary Students Feel Left Behind at School

The third Wednesday of October is International Pronouns Day and this year it falls on October 19. This annual event “seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace” and is a meaningful opportunity to discuss the experiences of non-binary young people and what research has shown us about their mental health. 

We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, October 20. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here! 

Article: At a Bucks County queer prom, no royalty, wear what you feel best in, and ‘everybody belongs’ 

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer 

Author: Oona Goodin-Smith 

Questions for Discussion: 

  1. Do you know if the dances – including prom – at schools in your community are inclusive of LGBTQ+ students? If not, are you aware of any queer or alternative prom events in your community?

  2. How do you think attending an event like the Cosmic Colors Queer Prom benefits the mental and physical well-being of the young people that attend? What about the adult volunteers and chaperones? 

  3. How can we as parents and caregivers elevate what we’re learning about the mental health crisis among young people? How can the work of organizations like the Springtide Research Institute help us to make our case?

Bonus Resources: Check out Mental Health & Gen Z: What Educators Need to Know from the Springtide Research Institute and “Op-Ed: How I nurtured my trans nonbinary child’s path — and learned to grow with him” from The LA Times by Rebecca Brenner. 

About Our Guests:

Marte Aboagye, Head of Community Engagement at the Springtide Research Institute

Ways to Watch:

Also available on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter.