At a recent discussion on gender identity and sexual orientation at Bank Street, our community moved forward in thinking about these issues, due to the dynamic, expert and thoughtful words of SFC parent Roz Lee (above left), Director of Social Justice Initiatives at Arcus Foundation; and Eliza Byard, SFC ’82, Executive Director of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network).
As the Bank Street Community, we have an imperative to ensure that our curriculum is inclusive, our teachers are trained and most importantly, that every child is safe in their whole selves; that children should never feel that they have to keep any part of their identity secret. As Dr. Byard so poignantly noted, there is a vital difference between privacy and secrecy. We must examine how outdated norms around gender and sexuality can harm our children no matter how they identify. As a school, we are in a time of reflection and positive change in the areas of gender identity and sexual orientation and have joined a number of schools in having a single-stall All-Gender Restroom.
The All-Gender Restroom validates that there are more than two genders, and that gender is a spectrum. The All-Gender Restroom is for anyone—adult or student—who identifies anywhere on the gender spectrum. This recent article in the New York Times examines the increased consciousness around bathrooms and gender. We received the All-Gender Restroom sign from the company listed in the article, SmartSign.
Two of the points of our credo are: Flexibility when confronted with change and an ability to relinquish patterns that no longer fit the present; and the courage to work, unafraid and efficiently, in a world of new needs, new problems, and new ideas. The school looks forward to partnering with our families and faculty in these efforts.