Schools across the nation are seeing an increasing presence of transgender students and many school leaders, teachers, and community stakeholders feel they have nowhere to turn for resources or guidance for what can be a volatile, confusing, and controversial subject. The parents of transgender children, who are themselves urgently looking for advice and support, often feel thrust into an adversarial position as they become advocates for the safety, wellbeing, acceptance, and happiness of their child.

It's time to move beyond the unproductive and polarizing debates that occur over which bathroom/locker room they should use, on which sports team they should participate, and whether or not they are a threat to the safety of other students. We can't move beyond these debates until we respectfully consider and address the factors that contribute to this contention in the first place.  Join author Aidan Key as he explores the barriers encountered by schools as they attempt to create gender-inclusive environments, including the resistance of a misinformed society whose only framework of gender is one rigidly set in an only-male/only-female context.  The end result is ensuring that all children can count on a safe and welcoming learning environment. 

Speaker, author, and educator, Aidan Key’s work centers on gender diverse children.  Key, founder of Gender Diversity, works nationally with hundreds of K-12 schools and youth-based agencies providing professional development, strategic planning, policy development, athletics guidance, and education for parents and students. TransFamilies.org, also founded by Key, is a national organization providing support and resources for families of gender-diverse children.

Key is the author of the seminal book, Trans Children in Today’s Schools, (Oxford University Press) and a contributing author to both editions of the anthology Trans Bodies, Trans Selves.  Aidan was named Community Leader of the Year by the Greater Seattle Business Association (2017) and Seattle Magazine's Most Influential People of the Year (2019) and whose media appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, DiversityIS, and twice on NPR’s Fresh Air.