Content warning: The post discusses religious trauma and institutional discrimination against trans youth.
My name is Tea, I use she/they pronouns, and I’m here with my mom Michelle (she/her). We’re so excited to introduce ourselves to you today, on the International Day of Pink: a day to speak out against discrimination and bullying directed at 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.
This is the story of how Out In Schools changed our lives.
We are a mixed-race family from Ladner, BC. I was assigned male at birth, but as a kid, I always preferred dolls to action figures. I was obsessed with fantasy and mythical creatures in general. I especially loved Monster High dolls—so chic, ghoulish, and unique—and skipping around in my mermaid tails and fairy wings!
At some point, I began attending a Catholic elementary school, where we had to wear gendered uniforms. It made me realize just how uncomfortable I was being perceived as a boy. I would spend recesses in the back of the field, sitting alone and daydreaming about walking through school with long, flowing hair reaching all the way down to my uniform skirt.
One summer, our family decided to try something out: I would go to summer camps with my new name and use she/her pronouns. I wore my hair in dreadlocks down to my shoulders, I dressed however I wanted, and, in this new environment, no one questioned any of it. For the first time in my life, I actually felt comfortable in my body—it was like finally coming home after a long trip.
That fall, our family expressed to my school that I would be attending class as a girl. The school responded with a letter from their lawyer. They demanded that I get assessed by religious practitioners and Catholic doctors. I wasn’t allowed to wear the girls’ uniform. One of the school’s pastors—an adult I trusted and our family was close to—sat me down and told me that my transition was against God’s wishes.
I spent a lot of that year crying and heartbroken. I was starting to believe that my dream—to be known as who I truly am—would never happen.
After months of jumping through hoops, we decided enough was enough. I left the school, and our family filed a human rights complaint against them.
Around that time, I saw my first Out In Schools presentation. I was amazed by the films the facilitators showed us: they were so different from all the sensationalized stories of despair that I’d gotten used to seeing in mainstream media. Instead, these films depicted queer youth as complex, willful humans. They captured both the nuances and wholeness of our identities.
I also got to know some of the amazing facilitators who work with Out In Schools. It’s incredible how their warmth opens up the classroom and invites everyone in. The energy they bring is so valuable, especially for trans and queer youth who don’t have access to information and support. When a youth makes a personal connection to an adult who shares their identities, it makes us feel like that could be us, too. A switch flips on: I can have a community, and I’m going to be okay!
Fostering hope and safety in the lives of trans and queer youth: this is what Out In Schools does best. It’s the only program of its kind in BC to create a non-judgmental space for all kids to ask questions and get insight into the big, beautiful world of gender and sexuality. This is the kind of work that creates cultural change, that builds connection and empathy across differences.
If you’re feeling anxious and scared, I am too—we don’t know what the federal election will bring. By the time we find out, it may already be too late. Trans and queer youth deserve to know that we’ll have their backs no matter who comes into power. This month, every donation you make will be matched dollar for dollar up to $12,500, so that 2SLGBTQIA+ youth can continue to access life-affirming resources provided by Out In Schools.
The time to act is now. Join us to keep Out In Schools in schools!
In solidarity, Tea (she/they) and Michelle (she/her) Out In Schools supporters
International Transgender Day of Visibility takes place every year on March 31 to celebrate trans and gender-diverse people, and raise awareness on systemic anti-trans discrimination.
Grade 5-7: Uplifting and supporting trans and gender-diverse people
Grade 8-10: Diverse cultural experiences of gender diversity
Grade 11-12: Complex representations of trans experiences by trans people
We recommend watching 1 short film per day and debriefing as a group using our associated Lesson Plans. At the end of the week, ask students to reflect on their favourite film and how they can make their school more welcoming for people of all gender identities and expressions!
Grades 5-7
The Litle Piratemaid (6 min)
Marooned in a mermaid’s lagoon, a young pirate makes an unlikely friendship and discovers there’s more than one way to sail the seven seas
In this documentary, eleven-year-old Ho’onani dreams of leading the boys hula troupe at her Honolulu school with the support of her teacher, a proud Native Hawaiian māhū, or transgender woman.
Long ago, four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii. The name of their leader was Kapaemahu.
Schuyler Bailar is a decorated swimmer who was recruited to Harvard as a female athlete and transitioned while continuing to compete and advocate for trans inclusion.
If you made use of these resources, we would love to hear how your lessons went and any other feedback! Get in touch with us at info@outinschools.com.
November 13-19 marks Transgender Week of Awareness which leads into the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. During this time, we are called to bring attention to issues faced by transgender and gender diverse communities. Awareness is one aspect which can bring us closer to liberation, but it cannot be without action and a commitment to end the violence against Two Spirit, Transgender, and gender diverse people.
This Transgender Day of Remembrance, Out In Schools invites educators and students to reflect on the ways which transgender, nonbinary, Two Spirit and otherwise gender diverse people experience the world, and how you, as allies, might come together to create safer and more celebratory spaces for gender diversity in your school and community. Educators can access our Film Catalogue to share short films in educational settings.
From Danny Lybbert (he/they), Out In Schools Program Manager:
When I started as a facilitator with Out In Schools back in 2016, our presentations were primarily focused on building awareness of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community; the majority of our time was spent on defining terms and explaining how various identities exist across spectrums. Our approach was based on the knowledge that hate often stems from ignorance and the assumption that awareness would therefore decrease hate. And, for many years, this assumption was correct; in 2018, SARAVYC found that students at schools who received an Out In Schools presentation experienced lower levels of harassment, discrimination, and exclusion.
However, the landscape has changed, due in part to the rise of polarizing social media algorithms on apps like Tiktok, Instagram and Twitter, and an increase in mis/disinformation campaigns. Where once, visibility helped our cause, it now can also have the opposite effect; trans visibility is a double edged sword which sometimes gives us access, and increasingly, makes us targets of hate.
Awareness is a necessary first step in creating social change and moving society towards acceptance, but it can’t stop there. Trans equality and trans liberation are essential in the fight for gender equality and equity – they are synonymous with supporting people of all genders to express themselves freely. For generations, the existence of gender diversity has been actively suppressed, largely by the forces of colonization and white supremacy. The resurgence of these identities is critical to creating communities where all of us can thrive.
When the Out In Schools team travels to schools throughout the various communities in British Columbia, the majority of students know what basic terms like queer and trans mean, but language and terminology don’t build empathy – stories do.
How do we tell our stories when people are not willing to listen?
We need you. We need you to help share our stories.
Out In Schools uses personal narrative and short films as a way to engage our audiences in developing a deeper understanding of who we are and how to support us.
Thanks to the transgender ancestors and activists who came before me, I have access to the language I need to understand myself.
Effective awareness showcases both our struggles and our celebrations, and can move people to support us in our right to exist.
Positive and plentiful narratives can help trans folks have hope for the future. Affirming and authentic representation of our stories can help humanize our experiences, and build empathy and understanding.
Awareness is where our work begins, not where it ends.
To our cisgender allies: you can use your privilege to offset our vulnerability; when my cisgender friends and colleagues take on the work of introducing and explaining pronouns at meetings, correcting gender mistakes, or ensuring that I can safely access a bathroom, it makes it easier for me to exist.
I have been so heartened by the work of educators across BC, many of them cisgender allies, shaping school environments where trans students feel valued and protected. These allies continue to advocate for inclusive policies in the face of direct backlash, holding firm to the belief that all youth deserve a safe, supportive learning environment where they can be their authentic selves.
This Transgender Day of Remembrance, we encourage you to keep the learning alive and ongoing with your students. Seek out stories, check out our Film Catalogue, and explore the resources below.
If you’re an educator, consider using our curated film playlists to start conversations and explore the topic of gender identity in your classroom. You can also find additional resources below.
If you made use of these resources, we would love to hear how your lessons went and any other feedback! Get in touch with us at info@outinschools.com.
All youth deserve to grow up and learn in a safe, supportive environment where they are free to be their true and authentic selves.
On January 31, 2024, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith proposed policies that severely reduce protections and restrict healthcare access for trans and gender-diverse youth. These proposed policies target and endanger some of the most vulnerable youth in our community.
Young people deserve to be affirmed in their identities, especially if they face challenges of feeling different from their peers. For queer and trans youth, an affirming and supportive environment looks like:
exploring different parts of their identities without fear or judgment.
being addressed by their correct name and pronouns.
being included in regular school activities and spaces.
having safe adults to go to for support and guidance.
opportunities to learn about different sexual orientations and gender identities.
access to gender-affirming health care from medical professionals.
The proposed policies in Alberta roll back essential protections and freedoms for queer and trans youth, making schools less safe and inclusive.
All youth deserve the basic respect and dignity of being called their correct name and pronouns.
Many youth, regardless of gender identity, prefer to be called a name different from the one on their birth certificate. It is both common and normal for trans and queer people to change their pronouns to accurately reflect their identity. Using the correct name and pronouns for somebody is a basic way to show respect. For transgender youth, it is a proven way to improve their mental wellbeing.
The Albertan government plans to make it harder for trans and gender-diverse youth to gain this basic level of respect and more difficult for teachers and administrators to support some of their most at-risk students. Everyone deserves the basic respect and dignity of being referred to by their correct name and pronouns.
All youth deserve to receive inclusive education and see positive representation.
Schools prepare students for “the real world”, including how to interact with people who are different from us. For some 2SLGTBQIA+ youth, schools are the only place they are safe to explore who they are and see positive representation of who they could become.
The proposed policies will significantly restrict inclusive education about the diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). This will make schools less safe for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.
As a community, we support opportunities for young people to learn about diverse identities and experiences and gain understanding and empathy for their peers.
All youth deserve to participate in sports, regardless of their gender identity.
Sports are an important part of physical and mental health, social connection, and learning skills like teamwork, leadership, and resilience. Research consistently shows that gender assigned at birth does not equate to a competitive advantage in sports. Denying trans youth the basic freedom to participate in sports is unfair and discriminatory.
Premier Smith is perpetuating harmful myths and proposing policies that discriminate against, segregate, and exclude trans people. Our government and school systems should support fair policies that include everybody in sports and recreation.
All youth deserve access to life-affirming healthcare.
Premier Smith’s new policies go directly against the advice of healthcare professionals. Denying trans people access to healthcare on the basis of gender is medical discrimination. Trans youth deserve access to the gender-affirming healthcare they need to support their development and overall happiness.
Transgender and gender-diverse youth deserve to be supported, protected, and cared for by their families, communities, schools, healthcare providers, and governments.
To trans and queer youth: We love you. We see you. We support you. We will fight for you.
To parents, educators, policy-makers, and community members: We urge you to educate yourself on what genuine care and support looks like for transgender and gender-diverse youth. These youth are the future of our communities, it is imperative for us to advocate for policies that protect and care for them.
About Out In Schools
Out In Schools has been on the forefront of SOGI education and bringing positive, age-appropriate film, education, and dialogue about 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences into schools across BC since 2004.
Programs like Out In Schools are now banned or severely limited in provinces across Canada.
Gavin, Danny, Avery, and Charlie share what Trans Day of Visibility means to them and recommend four films illuminating different parts of the trans experience that you can watch online now.
For the first time, I felt real.
Growing up, I didn’t know it was possible to be anything other than what the doctors told my parents I was when I was born. I always felt “tomboyish”; I loved being outdoors, playing sports, and wearing baggy clothes. I always felt like I didn’t quite fit, but lacked the language to describe how I felt and didn’t see representations of transgender people in the media or in my communities.
I remember hearing the word “genderqueer” for the first time when I was 18; it struck a chord that resonated so strongly in me that, all of a sudden, for the first time, I felt real. Gender-queer. Queer as instrange, odd, different. Queer as in my gender.
Transgender Day of Visibility means getting to exist as I am, and, by virtue of being myself openly, offering glimmers of possibility and permission for others to exist outside of what was expected of them or who the world told them they were supposed to be.
Gavin (they/them) Education Director
Gavin recommends Ur Aska (2019), dir. Myra Hild
Ur Aska is a Danish animated short, and presents a beautiful allegory on transition and explores how love can prevail even as our relationships with others might change. If you’re an educator, you can create an account to access all Out In Schools films and lesson plans for free. Please use your school-based email address.
Being authentic to ourselves is itself an act of protest
My name is Danny, and my pronouns are he/him and they/them. I am a queer, non-binary, trans man. I conceptualize my gender as being near enough to the “man” box that I’m comfortable with being perceived as such, but far enough from the box to have an experience of gender distinct from binary men. To me, Trans Day of Visibility is about being my true self, out in the open.
There are risks and barriers that come with being visibly trans; being authentic to ourselves is itself an act of protest. It’s also about showing (and seeing) that it’s possible to be trans and have a life filled with happiness and love. There is so much to being trans that we so rarely get to see because the few depictions of us in the media are so often centered on tragedy. Trans Day of Visibility is an opportunity to highlight the joy and magic of our community, and all the amazing things folks are doing.
Danny (he/they) Out In Schools Program Coordinator
Danny recommends A Typical Fairytale (2018), dir. Annette Reilly
My film recommendation is A Typical Fairytale, written by non-binary filmmaker Jess McLeod and starring young genderfluid actor Ameko Eks Mass Carroll. It’s a cute, quirky short about a young couple, their child’s divergence, and their decision to love and support their Prince despite their fears. If you’re an educator, you can create an account to access all Out In Schools films and lesson plans for free. Please use your school-based email address.
I saw all the possibilities of who I could be
When I was younger, the world was so big.
The big adults bombarded me with “possibilities” for my “potential”. And when I was younger, I did dream big—but those dreams slowly shrank as I grew. I didn’t see how “someone like me” could simply exist, let alone be in community with others like myself.
And then I found Transgender Day of Visibility. I saw so many different people’s existence. I was exposed to so many ways of being! I saw their potential, and I felt in community.
On Transgender Day of Visibility, I saw all the possibilities of who I could be while being true to myself in all aspects.
Avery (they/them) Out In Schools Program Coordinator
Avery recommends Meet the Transgender NCAA Swimmer from Harvard produced by the Olympics
My film recommendation is the short documentary Meet The Transgender Swimmer From Harvard, which highlights Schuyler Bailar’s incredible journey to becoming the first openly transgender athlete to compete at an NCAA level. Watch this video on Youtube.
Life has been everything I was told I couldn’t have
I grew up lonely and spent hours in front of the mirror looking for ways I could look more like a boy. It wasn’t until seeing conversations about puberty blockers in the media in 2017 that I dared to dream of what my life could have been like if I’d experienced my adolescence today.
Later that year, I was attending a queer film festival when a handsome man talked to me, and over our little chat, disclosed that he was a trans man. That was it. That was all I needed for my life to change forever.
I realized I could be the man I had been hiding all my life from everyone but myself. I could be proud, I could be out, I could feel safe, I could be happy, and I could even be handsome! Since that day, life has been everything I was told it couldn’t be: a journey filled with love, freedom and, growth. And it was made possible by the visibility of others who’d gone on this journey before me.
Charlie (he/they) Artistic Director
Charlie recommends Disclosure (2020), dir. Sam Feder
I think everyone needs to watch Disclosure, an incredible, eye-opening documentary about the history of trans representation in Hollywood featuring trans artists and filmmakers. What people know and believe about trans people is informed primarily from what they see in the media, and trans representation in media is full of tropes and harmful narratives. Watch this film on Netflix and check out the many toolkits and discussion guides on their website to see how you can advocate for trans people in your community, school, or workplace.
International Transgender Day of Visibility takes place every year on March 31st and celebrate trans people, bringing awareness to trans experiences. Founded by activist Rachel Candall in 2009, this day specifically focuses on celebrating trans people, trans community, and trans joy.
Stories about trans people and experiences in film, TV, and media oftentimes focus on tragedy and violence as well as harmful misrepresentations and stereotypes. However, as you see in these personal accounts and films, the trans experience is so much brighter and broader than what is shown in the mainstream. Trans lives deserve to be visible in their entirety, and we invite you to join us in continuing to share and hear stories from trans individuals and artists.
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