Gender socialization and supportive school settings for elementary-aged LGBTIQ+ children

Despite a breadth of research, policy, and legislation, significant barriers to inclusion continue to persist for LGBTIQ+ children across many educational settings, particularly among Early Childhood Education (ECE) and elementary school spaces. This work aims to address the vulnerabilities of LGBTIQ+ children in school spaces by highlighting the socialization of heteronormativity and cisnormativity in ECE and elementary settings as a key intervention point for children’s mental health. Through a narrative literature review, we identify the current realities experienced by many gender and sexually diverse students in schools, including the impact of overlapping systems of oppression (i.e., homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism) putting queer students at increased risk of harmful mental health outcomes, along with a review of literature on protective factors that have been shown to mitigate these risks. Lastly, we discuss key whole-school interventions in the socialization of cisheteronormative gender in elementary school spaces, which include rights-based frameworks for students, inclusive curricula, and policies. We posit that these universal strategies provide both upstream and responsive support to the mental health needs of all students, including LGBTIQ+ children. Through this study of key literature, and integration of theory on the socialization of gender, we aim to provide educators and school administrators with tools to better support the wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ children and youth now and into the future.