This session starts with a review of gender as a concept — we’ll explore the complexity and depth of gender, including gender identity, gender expression, and sex assigned at birth; along with sexuality and the LGBTQIA+ acronym. In the second half of the session, we’ll discuss LGBTQIA+ students’ experiences in and out of school, from specific anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination to physical and mental health risk factors. Then we’ll discuss the various ways that professionals can improve the general climate of schools, community centers, agencies, and even their own homes through strategies from simple word choice to organizational policy shift. Participants will leave with a list of action steps they’d like to take moving forward to improve the experiences of the youth around them.