Gender and sexuality (GAS​)

our movement and campaign

The Gender and Sexuality (GAS) cohort of Bridge Builders CHANGE works to make Memphis a place where all people, regardless of sexuality or gender, can be brave to speak their truth, feel safe in their identity, and get educated on LGBTQ+ issues.
The Gender and Sexuality cohort of Bridge Builders CHANGE is working to make Memphis a place where all people, regardless of sexuality and gender, can be brave to speak their truth, feel safe in their identity, and get educated on the LGBTQ+ community. To do this, we are building from the bottom up, and marking one-by-one the spaces that meet the criteria below. Once a space meets all the criteria listed, they can be marked with a Brave, Safe, Educated Space sticker, and be celebrated as a welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community in Memphis.

The Nomination form

Nominate spaces here that you believe would be interested in working towards meeting the criteria below to be Brave, Safe, and Educated, or spaces that you believe already meet them. Please include your name, your email address, the name of the school, business, or healthcare facility you're nominating, and a comment on why you think they should be marked as a Brave, Safe, and Educated Space. Thanks for working to make Memphis a safer and more welcoming place!

The Criteria

We designed this criteria by compiling a diverse set of peer-reviewed articles from reputable sources and fashioning their suggestions to fit the capabilities of organizations in the Memphis community. In addition, we collected surveys from people all around Memphis, asking what they felt would make spaces Brave, Safe, and Educated. While research is essential, the personal experiences and needs of local LGBTQ+ people are just as necessary to our mission of making Memphis safer.
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FOR SCHOOLS
  • Proudly and visibly identify as a safe space
  • Have an active and running GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Gay Straight Alliance, or other LGBTQ+ club)
  • Have all teachers trained in “Creating Safe School Environment for LGBTQ+ Youth" by OUTMemphis
  • Have all teachers, administrators, and staff be trained in working with LGBTQ+ students and implicit bias
  • Normalize giving preferred pronouns by including them on staff and student name tags and email signatures
  • Always include pronouns in introductions, with both students and staff
  • ​If there is a school directory, remove any dead names (possibly legal names, which students no longer use) of transgender students from the directory. Only use them for legal purposes, not publicly.
  • Equipping school leadership and staff on legal policies regarding student vs. parent choice (name by which student is referred, pronouns by which student is addressed, confidentiality classes)
  • Make gender neutral restrooms available for students and staff
  • Ensure anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies explicitly protect LGBTQ+ students and staff
  • Have policies and procedures in place that ensure claims of gender and sexuality discrimination are properly investigated and taken seriously
  • Hold faculty and staff accountable for insensitive behavior
  • Have literature or a point person concerning the mediation of gender and sexuality discrimination
  • Create an LGBTQ+ history course or include LGBTQ+ history in the traditional curriculum
  • Ensure sex education is LGBTQ+ inclusive
  • Gives students the opportunity to learn more broadly about LGBTQ+ life and history
  • Change homecoming and prom “king and queen” to “royalty”
  • Teachers may not organize students for working groups by gender
  • Any spousal benefits for staff must explicitly include same sex couples
  • Any gender question on all surveys and forms should have a blank and “prefer not to answer” option
  • Dress codes should be gender neutral, with all people adhering to the same rules
  • Recognize and promote LGBTQ+ holidays
  • Provide a designated safe space for queer students with a point person concerning the mediation of gender and sexuality discrimination​​
FOR BUSINESSES
  • Proudly and visibly identify as a safe space
  • Include pronouns in name tags, email signatures, and business cards, as well as in all introductions
  • Make gender neutral bathrooms available
  • Dress codes should be gender neutral, with all people adhering to the same rules​
  • Have staff trained in LGBTQ+ sensitivity
  • Ensure anti-harassment policies explicitly protect LGBTQ+ staff and customers
  • Staff trained in the “implicit bias”
  • No working groups may be assigned based on gender
  • Any spousal and domestic relation benefits for staff must explicitly include same-sex couples
  • Have literature or a point-person concerning the mediation of gender or sexuality discrimination
  • Have policies that ensure claims of gender or sexuality discrimination or violence are properly investigated and taken seriously
  • Normalize using they-them pronouns before you know someone's pronouns
FOR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES
  • Proudly and visibly identify as a safe space
  • Staff should be trained in a “LGBTQ+ 101 for Providers” program and/or a “Transgender 101 for Providers” program
  • Ask patients for preferred pronouns and use them
  • Include pronouns on staff name tags and with patients' names
  • Make gender neutral restrooms available for patients and staff
  • Ensure any anti-discrimination and harassment policies directly protect LGBTQ+ staff and patients
  • Dress codes should be gender neutral, with all people adhering to the same rules​
  • Doctors should provide a survey with more sensitive conversation topics
  • Provide information on how to advocate for yourself if you have been discriminated against
  • Don’t use words that harm the LGBT community
  • Ensure that all have the same access as straight partners ​