The National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in the United States, recently unveiled a comprehensive toolkit designed to equip educators with resources and guidance on LGBTQ+ inclusivity. This toolkit, released last Wednesday, offers a range of materials, including LGBTQ+ training programs, recommended reading lists, and support resources. A key element of the toolkit is a pronoun guide that details various ways to address individuals respectfully, moving beyond traditional gender assumptions. The guide emphasizes the importance of asking for and using preferred pronouns, acknowledging that assumptions based on appearance can be inaccurate.

The guide includes examples of gender-neutral pronouns, such as they/them/theirs and ze/zim/zir/zirs/zirself/zay, along with explanations of their usage. It highlights the increasing acceptance of singular "they" as a gender-neutral option. The toolkit also offers practical advice for teachers on initiating conversations about pronouns, responding to unintentional misgendering, and integrating pronoun usage into various school communications, such as ID badges and pronoun pins.

Beyond pronoun guidance, the toolkit features a six-part training series that delves into addressing bias related to sexual orientation and gender identity, incorporating an intersectional lens focused on racial justice. The training covers topics such as identifying and dismantling systems of oppression affecting LGBTQ+ and BIPOC students, and implementing anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) pedagogy in the classroom. The NEA's release of this toolkit comes amidst ongoing discussions and debates surrounding LGBTQ+ issues in education, including the union's support for GLSEN, an organization advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion in K-12 schools. This support has drawn criticism from some who express concerns about parental rights and the integration of gender ideology into curricula.