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For parents

Exploring Gender Diversity Through Gender Identity and Expression

Get clear on the difference between gender identity and gender expression, and on everyday ways to address people without guessing.

  • 14 minutes
  • Certificate
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Free for 14 days, then £4 a month or £40 a year. Cancel before day 14 and you won't pay anything.

About this course

Words around gender change quickly, and plenty of people stay quiet rather than risk using the wrong one. This course gives you a clear, calm starting point.

It explains gender identity (how someone understands their own gender) and gender expression (how they show it, through clothes, name, pronouns and more), and why the words people choose for themselves are personal and can change over time. Knowing what "passing" means to a trans person helps explain why being addressed the way they hoped can matter so much.

The practical side is small and everyday. With people you don't know well, drop "sir" or "madam" and use a warm greeting instead. When you make introductions at work or socially, offering your own pronouns gives others the chance to share theirs if they want to.

Modules

7 modules
  1. 1Introduction1 min
  2. 2Why is gender diversity important? 2 min
  3. 3Gender identity and expression2 min
  4. 4The words we use are important2 min
  5. 5‘Passing’3 min
  6. 6Gender Diversity in our Communities3 min
  7. 7Wrap up1 min

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Good to know

  • A certificate when you finish.
  • Stop when you like and pick up where you left off.
  • Got a link from your child's school? Use that instead: it's free for you.

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