At PRISM, we believe every student deserves to be seen as their authentic self, and it starts with navigating name and pronoun changes smoothly.

Each October, schools across the country observe LGBTQ+ History Month to honor the people, events, and movements that have shaped LGBTQ+ history. For students in Florida, this month can be a powerful opportunity to feel seen, connected, and included in the broader story of civil rights and progress.

Sex education has long been a contested topic in Florida classrooms. But in recent years, what was once basic health instruction has been stripped down, delayed, or blocked entirely. For many students—especially LGBTQ+ youth—this shift has left them without the information they need to navigate relationships, consent, or their own bodies.

Title IX is one of the strongest tools students have when it comes to fighting discrimination in schools. This federal law, first passed in 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or educational program that receives federal funding. For a long time, many LGBTQ+ students didn’t know whether that protection applied to them.

Every student deserves to feel safe at school. But for many LGBTQ+ students in Florida, bullying and harassment remain an everyday challenge. Whether it shows up in the form of slurs in the hallway, online harassment, or teachers looking the other way, the message to these students is often that they are on their own. That message is wrong.