Hello, educators!
First off, a warm welcome to everyone who has recently joined our list. We're glad you are here! If you are interested in joining our interactive listserv to ask and answer questions from other educators, follow this link to sign up.
This month's newsletter highlights some more resources that you might find useful in your classroom.
Etymology stems - This awesome guide set up by Sam Long connects the etymology of words in science to terms common in the LGBTQIA+ community. From Sam: "This year my students are very interested in word origins and why things are named the way they are. I made this partial list of root words that occur in both LGBTQIA issues and science. It is a tool to help science teachers integrate gender-inclusive themes into their teaching. It's a pretty low-lift way to blend gender diversity into a science class. Please share your thoughts and additions!" Feel free to contact him with feedback and ideas - Sam.Long.MT@gmail.com.
October 26th was Intersex Awareness Day, celebrated in honor of the first known public demonstration by intersex advocates against nonconsensual genital surgeries in 1996. Read more about the history and impact of this day at InterACT and GLAAD, or read 9 ways intersex youth want to be supported by grown-ups to better-support intersex youth in schools.
Meiosis and Intersex Traits - Teaching meiosis and/or intersex traits at a high school or college level? Matt Gilbert's Sex Chromosome Meiosis Game explores the origins of some intersex traits in a way that is clear and interactive. This can also be a good way for educators to review processes that occur during meiosis in preparation for teaching intersex traits.
Two-Spirit Identity and centering Indigenous voices - Thanksgiving is coming up in the U.S., and there are lots of great resources about centering racial justice and indigenous rights in discussions of Thanksgiving. Some folks might not know that there are many examples of gender diversity being honored and respected in North American indigenous cultures. Though the terms and roles in different cultures vary, the term Two-Spirit became a universal term for gender diverse Indigenous North American people in the 1990s. Read more about the history the term Two-Spirit at the Indian Health Service or Indian Country Today, or watch a video about Two-Spirit and indigenous identity at them. magazine. You can also find books for your age group centering two-spirit stories - consider 47,000 Beads by Koja Adeyoha for young readers or Love Beyond Body, Space and Time for a young adult audience.
Conferences - If you're in the Denver area, look for Sam & Lewis at the Colorado Science Conference on Friday, November 8th.
Take care, all, and happy Halloween!
Lewis & Sam