ASPP Stands with Members of the LGBTQI+ Community
Stands with Members of the LGBTQI+ Community
Since 1965, Pennsylvania has been recognized as a birthplace of the gay liberation movement, with Philadelphia being home to the first Annual Reminder picket at Independence Hall on July 4th of that year.
During Pride Month each June, we commemorate and celebrate the efforts and achievements of the LGBTQI+ community in advancing equality, dignity, and the right to live authentically. Despite the advancements made in securing rights for the members of the LGBTQI+ community, across the country, state and local legislatures threaten the progress that has been made, introducing and passing discriminatory laws banning books in libraries featuring LGBTQI+ characters, prohibiting discussion of sexual and gender minority topics in classrooms, among other discriminatory practices.
As school psychologists, we are ethically obligated to ensure that youth members of the LGBTQI+ community are welcome in our schools, creating safe and supportive environments where personal identities are protected, encouraged, and nurtured (NASP, 2017). Legislators in Pennsylvania have introduced bills that threaten these communities, such as limiting freedom of expression and challenging the safety of trans children (HB 319 and HB 216).
The Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania (ASPP) is proud to stand with members of the LGBTQI+ community in dismantling historical systems of discrimination and injustice in school systems in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ASPP remains committed to ensuring that students throughout the Commonwealth feel safe and supported in schools, where the diversity and vibrancy of our student communities can flourish, during Pride Month and every month.
Reference:
National Association of School Psychologists. (2017). Safe and supportive schools for LGBTQ+ youth (Position statement). Bethesda, MD: Author.
Download PDF here.