This article was published in Journeys Winter 2020. Click here to read more articles featured in this issue. 

For any child who feels different, school can be a lonely place. All children benefit from knowing that their school is a safe space for them, and this is certainly true for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer; who do not conform to gender expectations and stereotypes; or who have questions around their sexuality or gender. For these students, Singapore American School seeks to extend a warm welcome and provide a safe and supportive environment. One of the three pillars of an SAS education is “extraordinary care,” and we are committed to ensuring that all our LGBTQIA+ students feel cared for. 

SAS is a large school, and its students, staff, and parents are extremely diverse. We know we have and will continue to have community members who identify as LGBTQIA+. During the journey of self-discovery that is childhood and adolescence, students sometimes discover they do not fit neatly into society’s expectations around gender and sexuality. We recognize that each of us deserves to be validated for our unique self, and as a school, we are committed to making sure all students know they are accepted, valued, and safe at SAS. We also want to prepare students to be sensitive and accepting of any family members, friends, classmates, neighbors, and colleagues who identify as LGBTQIA+, now or in the future. This is at the heart of our core values of compassion and respect. 

We realize that the SAS community includes families who hold disparate views on issues surrounding gender and sexuality and we welcome these diverse views. At the same time, at the student level, SAS will continue to be committed to providing extraordinary care, including affirmative social-emotional care, for each child; personalizing our support for every student; and emphasizing both physical and mental wellness for our students and community members. As a school we are clear on our priority of ensuring that our LGBTQIA+ community members are treated with respect and acceptance at all times. 

The school’s support systems for our LGBTQIA+ community members include both general inclusivity measures and more targeted outreach and education. Our counselors reach out to SAS families and offer support to parents with concerns, including concerns about children who identify as LGBTQIA+ or who are questioning their gender and/or sexuality. Administrators and counselors work to support students of all identities and genders and provide safe spaces to talk and learn. Counselors also work as appropriate to facilitate conversations or work separately with parents to help them navigate their understanding. High school counselors have also offered presentations for parents, which have been well attended and received. 

A number of faculty members have participated in Safe Space workshops with our school psychologists, and “Safe Space,” “Ally,” and rainbow stickers displayed on doors and windows let students know they are ready and willing to help. Faculty have also shared information about how to address offensive language around gender and sexuality in the classroom. School uniform options deliberately include elements that are gender-neutral, and we respect students’ preferred names. High school departments are addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion, including around gender and sexuality, in their curriculum reviews. 

Lessons and discussions regarding these topics are delivered in age-appropriate ways schoolwide. In elementary school, our core values of compassion, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect provide a common language to discuss issues around identity, family, and community. Children’s choices around toys, books, dress-up costumes, and free-dress wear are respected, and educators may facilitate conversations about society’s gender expectations as they develop organically. Starting in fifth grade, health lessons cover biological aspects of human development, and middle school advisory lessons address different forms of bullying and discrimination. In eighth grade, health and advisory lessons include discussions around biological gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual/romantic orientation, and relevant vocabulary. This year, as part of our diversity, equity, and inclusion focus, the high school advisory program began with an in-depth lesson for all students centered on exclusion, inclusion, and the kind of community we want to build at SAS.

Class options and assignments give interested students opportunities to learn more about related topics. In the eighth grade social studies’ Civil Rights unit, for example, students have chosen to research Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California; the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage throughout the United States; and current issues impacting the transgender community. A culminating "gallery walk" gives other eighth grade students the chance to learn about topics their classmates researched. In high school, classes such as English, social studies, the arts, and Catalyst offer opportunities for relevant research and self-expression. Age-appropriate resources are available in divisional libraries; they are not grouped together so students need not fear stigmatization if they search for an item. Librarians and teachers stand ready to help students, parents, and educators find the resources they need in a supportive and discreet manner. 

SAS students have been integral to our efforts to build a community ethos of acceptance and support. Peer-to-peer support groups in the middle school and high school give students safe spaces to express themselves, ask questions, and share experiences. High school students also created PRISM, a service club dedicated to education and raising awareness in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. SAS staff members who identify as LGBTQIA+ or have LGBTQIA+ family members have acted as guest speakers for these groups; besides giving students insights into their own lives, these adults act as role models and share their experiences around such questions as “how do I tell my parents?”; “how do I navigate social relationships?”; and “how do I support a loved one in this situation?” One of Superintendent Tom Boasberg’s first listening tour sessions last year was with students who identify as LGBTQIA+. High school students are currently working with teachers to look at LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the curriculum and are assisting with staff inservice work around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Our parent community started SAS Rainbow Parents and Allies several years ago. Rainbow Parents offers an inclusive and supportive environment for parents and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community across all grade levels to talk about gender and sexuality topics, including positive self-esteem, healthy identity development, and acceptance of differences. According to one of the parents involved, “Shortly after starting SAS Rainbow Parents and Allies, we as the founding group of several parents found inspiration in the open doors and hearts of the teachers and faculty in the school. We found eager partnership from all three principals, college counseling, personal academic counseling, admissions, athletics, libraries, parent engagement, and communications in finding ways to strongly and systemically signal SAS support for students open and hidden from view. Together they exemplified the Eagle Way by codifying a supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ students at SAS.”

Our support for our LGBTQIA+ community is a work in progress. Even as we seek to strengthen our support systems in this area, we know there are students who feel afraid of coming forward, disrespected by words and behavior around them, or unsure of where to turn for help. In this time of heightened discussion around issues of inclusion, equal treatment, and righting past injustice as we move forward together, we feel it is important to be clear that SAS strives to be a community that sees its diversity as a strength and a source of pride. We welcome all SAS families to join us in working toward providing for every child a culture of excellence, a culture of possibilities, and a culture of extraordinary care.

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Journeys, our print publication, shares current, in-depth stories written by and for members of our school community. It is mailed to current families, faculty, staff, and alumni in December and June. If you are interested in contributing an article to Journeys, email communications@sas.edu.sg. Read more articles here.