Support and initiatives for LGBT children

(2) Ideas for individual support

●Changing: When it is difficult to change clothes together in class.
・Use a different room such as the infirmary.
・Change clothes by yourself after everyone has finished changing clothes.

●Toilet: When it is difficult to use a toilet with people.
Use toilets that are not used often.
・Use places where there are not many students, such as toilets for the disabled and staff.
・Go to the bathroom during class.
・Use off-campus restrooms (stations, parks, etc.).

●Swimming: If you can't wear a bathing suit because it's painful.
・Prepare a swimsuit that you can wear instead of the default swimsuit.
・Wear a T-shirt over the top.
・Teach individually when other students are not available, such as during summer vacation.

●Accommodation・・・If you have trouble with room allocation, bathing, etc.
・Consult in advance which members will be okay with room allocation.
・Tell them in advance where they need to be separated by gender.
・Take a bath in a private room or take a bath by yourself at another time.

●Physical Measurement/Examination・・・If it is painful to be naked.
・Height and weight will be measured by both men and women while wearing gym clothes.
・For internal medical examinations, etc., use a screen so that you cannot be seen.
・After everyone is done, do it alone at the end.

●Sports・・・When you can't enter the gender-segregated group.
・It will be divided into men and women, but girls who are good at sports can join the boys group, and boys who are not good at sports can join the girls group to make it easier to come and go.
・Separate children by proficiency, whether they are good at it or not at all, regardless of gender.
・Consult with the student and devise ways to participate as much as possible, such as sports festivals.

●Uniforms: If it is painful to wear.
There are cases of people not attending school because they don't want to wear uniforms, so wear jerseys, etc.
Allowing dress within a different code or permitting the wearing of uniforms of the desired gender.

●Individual support in general
・Concretely consider each issue with students and parents.
・If something happens, obtain the parent's consent or report it frequently.
・Tell them that the school may not be able to meet 100% of their needs.
・For the students, it will be an experience that "I was able to listen seriously when I consulted".
・Even if other students gossip about you, you may be able to live a school life without getting discouraged by having a place where you can consult and teachers who will support you.

(3) Class making

● Do not tolerate teasing or teasing
Instead of throwing out words that are meant to make fun of someone or make fun of someone, they ask, "Why did you say it? What was your intention?" Instead of getting angry, asking “why did you say that?” makes them realize the meaning of their words and prompts them to reflect.

Words such as okama, homo, lesbian
Similar to the above, asking "why did you say that and what does it mean?" will make you think about your statement. If you don't understand the meaning of a word and you're using it, explain it. These words are used to ridicule people, and some people will be hurt if they are said, and it is better to use the word LGBT. tell what will happen.

Backbiting about unfeminine girls and unmanly boys
"Even though you're a woman, you're XX!" "You're a man, but you look like XX!"
"Then what is it like to be like a woman?"
“You do ◎◎ a lot too, how about that?”
By repeatedly asking questions about what constitutes a woman or a man, you gradually change your mindset. Instead of yelling at the teasers and jokes, ask yourself, "Why are you saying that? What is the reason?"

Grow together by getting involved with other students
Encourage them to learn how to handle them and build relationships while interacting with them. For example, a student in a wheelchair will not be able to walk just by pulling his or her leg, but there is a lesson for the student who supports and assists the student as they move their legs to the right and left, as well as the person who tells them.

● How the child interacts with other students
Other students may be confused about how to deal with the student whose gender is changing. In that case, tell them that you should continue to treat them as before, and if you don't understand, ask them. Even if the appearance changes, the personality remains the same, so there is no need to change the way you socialize.

Place books and manga in the library and infirmary
Recently, there are excellent manga and novels about sexuality, so if you leave them at school, students will gain knowledge, and if you borrow them and go home, your family will read them and talk about them. By talking about it, you can wake up to notice about yourself and the events around you on a daily basis. I want you to make the most of it. Recommended manga will be introduced at the end.

●Teachers' Attitudes toward Discrimination
Children are sensitive to what teachers think. The impact on the students will change greatly depending on whether the teacher speaks positively about one thing or speaks negatively by taking advantage of discrimination.

(4) School-wide efforts

● Use the child in question as a good opportunity
To be honest, if the child is not there, it is difficult to think of it as a problem in front of us. If the whole school learns about human rights, it should be easier to tackle the next issue. (Even sexual minorities need to be trained separately on issues of transgender and homosexuality, and there are problems such as safe sex, HIV, dating DV, addiction, etc. It is effective to support students to study a field that is

●Efforts in each grade
If it seems difficult for the whole school to work on it, it is possible to start with the grade in which the child is in question. It is effective to start with the study of femininity and masculinity and learn step by step, rather than suddenly addressing sexual minorities.
Even if the child has not come out, if there is a possibility that he or she will be bullied, such as when his or her behavior is becoming noticeable, it is better to start studying as a whole as soon as possible.
Also, when changing classes or going on to higher education, there is no doubt that the child will have a comfortable school life if there is a student who understands the child. There is a high possibility that the situation can be prevented from worsening if the friends around the child do not take part in the heartless remarks and harassment of students from other schools who have not studied, and if they acknowledge the child.

●Collaboration with outside the university
If you are already aware of gender dysphoria in elementary school, it is possible that you will be truant in junior high school. It is also effective to hold training jointly with the junior high school where you will go to school or the elementary school next door. A better environment can be created if the child is not only handed over to the teacher of the school where the child is going to go to school in advance, but also has sexuality education at the junior high school at the same time.


★Things that should be done without the child in question★

Early learning
From the third grade of elementary school, students learn about sex and sexual minorities. Already in the first and second grades of elementary school, there are students who make fun of and make fun of using words such as fagot and homo. Early learning is effective to prevent bullying as early as possible. It clearly conveys the principle that "It's okay to live however you want, and it's okay to love anyone." Also, let them know that some people like sports and some like studying.

●Meet the person concerned
Inviting the person concerned to the class and interacting with the student is a good chance for the student to learn with a real feeling because it is a living experience for the student. By seeing and interacting with real human beings, we make them realize that the problem of sexual minorities is a real problem and think about what they can do.

(5) Relationship with parents

・Share the recognition in (1) with parents. You can't decide what a child is until they reach high school.
・Consult each other about specific measures for the child concerned. (toilet, changing room, etc.)
• Listen closely to distressed parents.
・Listen to your parents so that they can raise their concerns.
・Communicate the opinions of the school or individual teachers, even if they differ from those of the parents.
・Let's talk about the child's future and gradually think about a life that might change gender or live with a same-sex partner without getting married.

●When the relationship between parents and children is not good
(For example, a parent denies the child's gender and thinks "I want to cure it normally" or "I should be cured eventually.")
・If the parents and children cannot face each other and talk, the teacher acts as a mediator between the parents and the children.
・Alternatively, set up a place where you can talk face-to-face, and have both parties discuss without the instructor.
・If the parent's intentions and the child's appeal do not match, discuss to make a match.
For example, if a child does not want to wear a uniform, but a parent wants to have the child wear it, discuss with each other how far you can compromise and come up with a compromise, such as wearing it only when going to school and wearing a jersey at school.

●Regarding all guardians
Have the PTA and parent-teacher workshops take up topics related to sex. Parents' prejudice due to ignorance is directly contagious to children.

(6) What managers should do

In April 2010, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced that an elementary school in Saitama Prefecture would allow children diagnosed with gender identity disorder to change their gender in school life. announced nationwide. However, as of 2012, very few schools are addressing homosexuality and gender identity disorder as human rights issues. In order to support the child's homeroom teacher and related teachers, managers should actively conduct teacher training, joint training at local schools, and appeal to parents for their understanding. Show internally and externally that you are implementing this notice as a school system. Individual support for children with difficulties should eventually lead to the creation of schools where all children can live comfortably.

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