In August of 2014, the American Psychological Association, or APA as it is more commonly known, passed a resolution about the importance of gender and sexual orientation diversity in schools. The resolution called for schools to be safe places for all students and offered practical advice for those working with children.

Limitation of Language and its Definitions

Resolution drafters wanted to express their current definitions of terms related to gender and sexuality. The list below has been utilized in the drafting of the resolution.

• Asexual: An adjective used to indicate a lack of sexual attraction or activity.
• Bullying: A series of behaviors, whether physical, verbal, relational, or electronic in nature, that are intended to harm a person.
• Cisgender: This is used to describe individuals whose gender identity and assigned sex at birth are the same.
• DSD: An abbreviation for “disorders of sex development,” a term used by some medical professionals and intersex activists to describe conditions where a person is born with atypical sex characteristics.
• Gender: A social construct that refers to the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex.
• Gender Expression: This refers to how a person’s gender identity, role, or expression conforms to cultural expectations associated with a given gender.
• Gender Diversity: It is used as an alternative term for gender nonconformity to emphasize the more inclusive nature of this concept.
• Pansexual: This refers to sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction toward people of all gender identities and biological sexes.
• Queer: A term to encompass all individuals who do not conform to the dominant societal norms for their sex, gender, or gender expression.
• Sex Assignment: It is the classification of an infant as male or female, particularly at birth.
• Sexual Orientation: This refers to an individual’s preference for sexual and romantic partners.

Resolution on Gender and Sexual Orientation Diversity in Children and Adolescents in Schools

Sexual and gender minorities should be protected from prejudice and discrimination in educational environments because sexual and gender minorities are diverse. Our cultural attitudes about sex and gender diversity are evolving rapidly.