The definition of transgender is "An umbrella term describing people whose gender identity does not match the gender they were assigned at birth," differing from gender non-conforming, which is "A descriptive term and/or identity of a person who has a gender identity and/or expression that does not conform to traditional expectations of the gender they were assigned at birth" (GLSEN, 2022, p. 4). Therefore, gender non-conforming does not necessarily mean that someone is transgender, although they can be both. As the term gender non-conforming usually refers to someone's gender expression or presentation, which can include how someone looks or dresses, behaviors, preferences, and roles that do not conform to gender roles. Moreover, individuals that identify as transgender want to live as the gender that feels right to them, which can include altering their gender expression or presentation, as previously explained, but this can sometimes also lead to people taking hormones as well as having surgery to change their bodies to match their gender identity.

Pronouns relate to an individual's gender identity. Do not assume a person's gender identity based on gender expression or presentation, i.e., how someone looks or dresses, behaviors, preferences, and roles. Instead, to make public spaces like middle schools more inclusive for transgender and gender non-conforming students, you need to provide "... an opportunity for people to share their pronouns, ... showing that you're not assuming what their gender identity is based on their appearance" (GLSEN, 2022, p. 1). However, you may sometimes make mistakes when addressing transgender and gender non-conforming students. You need to be aware of the appropriate courses of action to take in these situations. The term misgendering "... refers to the experience of being labeled by others as a gender other than one that a person identifies with" (GLSEN, 2022, p. 2). Therefore, if you accidentally use the wrong pronoun when addressing a student, immediately correct yourself in front of that child and begin using the correct pronoun. Demonstrating this to the student and their peers as well as other staff members, "... making visible your work to respect and use someone's pronoun after a mistake is an important moment to take" and is how you can be not only an ally to your transgender and gender non-conforming students but also an advocate (GLSEN, 2022, p. 2).

Exposing yourself to literature written by and describing the experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming people is crucial since reading "... books about trans lives will be an improvement in helping teachers be more prepared to support trans youth" (Meyer & Leonardi, 2018, p. 7). Moreover, start viewing yourselves as learners. To best welcome and protect your transgender and gender non-conforming students, you need to "... fight that intellectual instinct and emotional instinct and... be open and try to learn" by reading transgender and gender non-conforming books (Mangin, 2020, p. 269). Therefore, once you complete your research and become educated on the experiences of the transgender and gender non-conforming community, start including representation of this marginalized group within your classrooms. For example, if you are an English Language Arts (ELA) middle school teacher, you can include young adult (YA) literature that features adolescent characters that are transgender or gender non-conforming, teaching cisgender students about "... their trans and gender creative peers, while simultaneously exploring their own beliefs and biases surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) culture (Kaywell et al., 2018, p. 197).