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Why are safe spaces necessary?
At its most simple definition, a safe space is a place in which you are protected from harm or danger. Further to this, it is an environment where all people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment or any physical or emotional harm.
For LGBTQIA+ students, safe spaces are particularly important. In Australia, LGBTQIA+ young people are two and a half times more likely to have been diagnosed with a mental health condition than their non-LGBTQIA+ peers.[1] LGTBQIA+ students are also more likely to experience anxiety, depression, psychological distress and suicidal thoughts and attempts.[2] These statistics are even more grim for LGBTQIA+ students of colour and LGBTQIA+ students with a disability.[3] In Victorian schools, LGBTQIA+ students are at higher risks of facing discrimination and being bullied,[4] emphasising the need for safe spaces in Victorian schools.
Safe spaces are necessary in Victorian schools not only because LGBTQIA+ students experience 80% of homophobic bullying at school,[5] but because they foster an environment where LGBTQIA+ students can learn more about themselves and feel comfortable in who they are. Safe spaces are necessary because they have been proven to decrease the prevalence of hostility towards LGBTQIA+ youth,[6] as well as increase overall happiness and academic performances.[7]
Making your classroom a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students can help maximise the wellbeing of all students and foster a school environment where every student feels safe and supported. Using this website along with other LGBTQIA+ friendly resources will help you educate yourself as a teacher to ensure you are helping all students thrive in their school life.
[1] Snapshot of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Statistics for LGBTIQ+ People, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia https://www.lgbtiqhealth.org.au/statistics.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] https://www.vic.gov.au/safe-schools.
[6] Creating Safer Space for LGBTQ Youth: A Toolkit for Education, Healthcare, and Community-Based Organizations, Advocates for Youth.org http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Creating-Safer-Spaces-Toolkit-Nov-13.pdf
[7] Ibid.
What does a safe space look, sound, and feel like?
What does a safe space look, sound, and feel like?
Safe spaces can take many different forms, and there’s no single way that a safe space should look or sound like. The most important thing all safe spaces should be is, most obviously, safe. No matter what your classroom looks like, it should allow LGBTQIA+ students to feel safe, supported and free from discrimination or harassment.
Classrooms and environments that have successfully become safe spaces can look vastly different to one another, but often include similar elements and policies that create an overall feeling of support and security for LGBTQIA+ students.
Safe spaces within schools may be the classroom you teach in or may not be a physical space but rather the environment you create for students as a teacher, regardless of location. While they may look different, safe spaces often include visual signs that they are a safe environment, including posters with supportive slogans, photos of LGBTQIA historical figures as well as non-LGBTQIA+ historical figures and rainbow flags.
As a safe space, your classroom should sound inclusive too. This means using gender-inclusive language and discussing LGBTQIA+ people in an accepting and non-discriminatory way.
What can you do to make your classroom a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students?
As a teacher, your classroom environment can become a safe space easily. The below tips show the different ways you can implement change to ensure you are fostering a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students.
Visually
A cheap and easy way to signify that you are teaching in a safe space is through the use of visual cues.
Stickers, large posters, supportive slogans and rainbow flags are all small tokens that show all students you are supportive of them, their identity and their sexuality. While a small rainbow sticker may seem insignificant, it’s an easy way to remind LGBTQIA+ students that they are welcome and accepted in your classroom. Visual signs and symbols also allow students to know that you are their ally as a teacher.
Organisations such as Minus18.org.au have posters, stickers, templates and brochures that are free to download and appropriate for classrooms.
Through language
The use of appropriate language not only when teaching but when having casual conversations with students is another way to make your environment a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students.
A simple way to use inclusive language is to get students to introduce themselves using their name and pronouns at the start of the school year. This allows gender non-conforming students to express their desired pronouns – which may be different to the pronouns they used to use – without making them feel alienated and drawing attention to their differences. You can wear a badge with your pronouns on it as an example to the class and introduce yourself using your pronouns too.
When teaching about or discussing LGBTQIA+ people ensure that you’re correctly educated on their pronouns and sexual and gender identities, and commonly use words that are used by the LGBTQIA+ community to help remove the stigma surrounding the community.
Avoiding the use of heteronormative language is another simple but significant way to build a safe space and examples of inclusive communication can be found in the Terminology section. Minus18 also has a handy Inclusive Language Guide.
In the curriculum
Whilst the curriculum is outside of your control as a teacher, you can highlight LGBTQIA+ figures and stories in all elements of teaching.
Using books written by LGBTQIA+ authors, highlighting historical figures who were LGBTQIA+ who may have been overlooked by many people, and using LGBTQIA+ media when teaching on topics such as science, health, and the arts will allow LGBTQIA+ students to feel safe and represented, and will also provide all your students with a more well-rounded, inclusive and accurately representative education.
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