Parallel Session Proceedings »
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2.7.4 Cancelled
An important side effect in the field of gifted education is the growing concern about the social and emotional nature of giftedness and meeting the needs of special populations within the gifted population. One such special population is gifted Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) youth. This rising concern has been expressed by the National Association for Gifted Children revising its Position Statement on GLBTQ (NAGC, 2015) and publishing one of the first NAGC Select Series: Needs and Approaches for Educators and Parents of Gifted Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Students. This is not just an issue in the United States, as evidenced by National Geographic’s special issue entitled: Gender Revolution (Goldberg, 2017) and Time Magazine’s themed issue on gender issues, entitled Beyond He or She: How a new generation is redefining the meaning of gender (Steinmetz, 2017). We are beginning to recognize, to name, and to attend to this elephant in the room. In this session, some of these issues will be identified and guidance and resources will be provided for individuals who are seeking to serve and honor GLBTQ students. The rapidly changing and growing definitions that are being used by the GLBTQ community, by psychologists, and by social workers will be discussed. This is important for understanding the many variations of gender identity in this population in order to identify and to respond to their needs. Educators, parents, and other invested professionals need to be aware of how each group and members within each group self-identifies, so that we approach and respectfully address the needs and concerns of members within each of these groups. Strategies, guidelines, and resources to support these gifted youth will be presented. One significant strategy to be shared is to encourage the investigation of the successes of prominent GLBTQ adults, both historical and current individuals, thus providing positive role and identification models. In addition, suggestions for appropriate GLTBQ friendly curriculum will be provided. A model lesson plan with gender diversity inclusion will be shared as time permits.