ABSTRACT
Many teachers will never know how many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students they have taught or how many of their students have LGBTQ family members. The guiding principles for creating diverse and responsive classrooms must be present all the time. By taking a thoughtful and informed approach to developing classroom climate and by making curriculum choices that honor diversity, teachers can create classrooms that are more responsive to LGBTQ students and families. Much has been written about creating curriculum that is responsive to the needs of diverse students, although most of the focus has been on curriculum for racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity. There are two goals for LGBTQ responsive curriculum in elementary school. The first is to recognize and validate LGBTQ-headed families and their children. The second is to create an environment that lays a positive foundation for students’ current and later sexuality and gender identity development.
