Creating Brave Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Students: Five Keys to Schoolwide Belonging and Safety

All students—especially vulnerable LGBTQIA+ students—deserve a safe place to learn, and all it takes is the opportunity to be BRAVE.

Many LGBTQIA+ kids don't experience the safety and belonging they need, especially in a political environment that sometimes seeks to deny the existence of LGBTQIA+ identity. How can educators help these students feel welcome and free to be their authentic selves at school?

Drawing on his personal and professional experience, award-winning educator Craig Aarons-Martin offers school leaders a BRAVE framework for action that focuses on belonging, respect, advocacy, visibility, and empathy. This book explains foundational terms and concepts related to the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ kids and provides guidance to

• Design safe environments for LGBTQIA+ students.
• Communicate in ways that affirm students' identities and foster an inclusive community.
• Equip adults in the school to be supportive role models.
• Tailor conversations about this important topic for different audiences, including students, teachers, parents, and the broader community.
• Advance social justice for LGBTQIA+ students in hesitant or hostile communities, with an emphasis on navigating the political landscape.

Strong leadership matters now more than ever. Regardless of your background knowledge on this critical and sensitive topic, Creating Brave Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Students will help you build the confidence and skills necessary to ensure your school’s LGBTQIA+ students have the support they need to learn and to thrive.

Craig Aarons-Martin is an award-winning Black queer educator, author, and consultant whose life and leadership are rooted in equity, belonging, and liberation. With more than two decades of service in education—as teacher, principal, superintendent, and district leader—his leadership has been nationally recognized, including honors as the 2018 National Distinguished Principal by NAESP, Massachusetts Elementary Principal of the Year, and Boston Public Schools Educator of the Year. Craig is CEO of CCM Education Group. His consulting and thought leadership emphasize the power of identity, healing, and joy as essential to building communities where LGBTQIA+ youth are not only protected but also celebrated. He is the author of the book Creating Brave Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Students.