Post submitted by Kimmie Fink, Welcoming Schools Consultant

On Thursday, May 18, teachers, parents and allies across the country will come together in support of transgender and gender-expansive children for Welcoming Schools’ second National I Am Jazz School and Community Readings. Will you be among them?

It’s not too late to sign up to host one of these amazing events. Once you’ve pledged to host a reading, simply download our comprehensive organizing kit. Inside, you’ll find everything you could possibly need, including ideas for getting the conversation started, promotional resources, talking points, questions for discussion and more.

Next, start inviting participants. Be sure to include local leaders, such as elected officials, school board members, supportive community members and leaders of LGBTQ organizations. If you’re holding a public event, create a Facebook page and let us know about it by emailing welcomingschools@hrc.org. We’ll be happy to advertise your event to our members and supporters in your area.

Most important, remember to buy your copy of I Am Jazz, reserve it at your local public library, or prepare to show this video of Jazz reading her book. It’s a good idea at this point to plan an agenda so you and your audience know what your timeline is.

Please consider being a part of this tremendous day of action on behalf of transgender youth and show trans youth in your community that they matter.

HRC's Welcoming Schools is the nation's premier program dedicated to creating respectful and supportive elementary schools in embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, creating gender-expansive schools and supporting transgender and non-binary students.