George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
How can we make our educational experiences more inclusive for 2SLGBTQIA+ learners? We can start with proactive space-setting, make meaningful inclusion through curriculum and pedagogy, and respond to incidents with care.
Proactive space-setting
When setting your space, consider these questions and our tips:
- How do you emphasize the importance of anti-racism, diversity, and respect?
- Remind learners about SHSV & HRDH policies in the syllabus and in your teaching.
- Clearly express what harassment or discrimination might look like in the classroom, what students should do if they experience or witness it, and what you will do if you experience or witness it.
- Connect the importance of these values to professional ethics and workplace readiness. Consider tying this to grades through practices, reflections, etc.
- How can learners show who they are and be respected?
- Invite students to share their pronouns, chosen name, & pronunciation in a confidential “getting to know you” survey.
- Emphasize the importance of diverse perspectives without demanding personal stories from any learner.
- How do your course policies and practices learn from inclusive lenses?
- Integrate positive collaboration practices into your course content, including group norms and contracts, assessing team health, receiving and responding to feedback, and constructive conflict.
- In your classroom management, develop shared expectations for your class. Provide multiple (non-disruptive) means for students to share feedback and feel heard.
- What ways can learners provide feedback?
- Provide multiple means for learners to share feedback and feel heard. Address the feedback you receive.
- Build on what works well and resonates with learners.
- Reach out to learners who don’t show up. Build in flexibility to allow them to catch up and continue learning.
Inclusion in curriculum
When building your curriculum, consider these questions and tips:
- How do you integrate 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences in your course content?
- In your content, discuss the importance of 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences in your professional work.
- Highlight the accomplishments of 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals and their contributions to the field, especially in fields with significant underrepresentation of 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
- Use cases that reflect the diversity of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Center strengths-based and socio-ecological models rather than deficit models to present these cases.
- How do your interactions demonstrate your values around 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion?
- Include your name and pronouns on your syllabus.
- Encourage interactions among students to build their sense of belonging.
- Disrupt racism and gender essentialism as part of your course content, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive practices.
- Be attentive to how leaving covert discrimination unchecked can create space for escalation towards overt harassment and violence.
- How do you invite students to practice these commitments?
- Invite learners to co-create norms for their groups, especially around conflict resolution
- Provide learners with time to reflect on the importance of these commitments.
Responding to incidents
Consider these questions and our tips around incidents that might occur in your class.
- What are your duties if you witness or are informed of potential harassment and/or discrimination?
- All GBC employees are required to immediately inform OAREHRS of any potential violations of the SHSV policy, including anti-2SLGBTQIA+ conduct.
- Review your Duty to Accommodate and provide accommodations when needed.
- How can you respond to incidents in the moment?
- Correct any misgendering, microaggressions, discrimination or harassment wherever they emerge.
- In high-tension situations, pause and acknowledge the emotions.
- Make it clear what behaviour is unacceptable in your classroom.
- If needed, remove students causing the problem from the group or class setting, not those experiencing victimization.
- Set aside time to discuss with students individually.
- How can you reach out for more information?
- Review supportive resources to refer students, colleagues, and yourself.
- Consult with OAREHRS at diversity@georgebrown.ca.
- Join the Pride @ GBC Working Group.
Want to learn more?
OAREHRS offers 2SLGBTQIA+ Fundamentals to Action workshops every term.
These participatory workshops help our community develop the capacities needed to make GBC a more inclusive place for all 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
Through these workshops, you will learn to understand 2SLGBTQIA+ identities and intersecting forms of oppression, intervene in situations of discrimination, harassment, and oppression, and create safer, more inclusive spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
If you are interested in arranging training for a specific group (e.g., units, teams, courses), please contact diversity@georgebrown.ca.