First, teachers should have aware of the idea of inclusivity and acknowledge students’ prior knowledge, especially those related to sexual orientation, gender identity, sexual harassment and sexual violence. They also need to prepare for the possible responses and actions of their students while their students encounter certain sensitive topics that might trigger their identity crisis and go through traumatic experiences again. 

Second, teachers should gain a mindset of teaching that acknowledges their own vulnerabilities and gives students voices and power to have freedom of speech in the classroom and to share their perspectives (Emdin, 2012). Thus, teachers should prepare to overcome their own discomfort towards teaching this comprehensive sexuality and gender curriculum. 

Third, with inclusivity and flexibility built in teachers’ mindset, they also need to catch up the up-to-date content knowledge related with gender, sexuality and queer ideas. Teachers, particularly in Asian context, do not acquire sufficient knowledge around selected topics in our curriculum.  

Fourth, teachers who are involved in this curriculum will need to learn how to search for help and establish alliances with their colleagues. They can form a sex and gender identities consult group. Teachers can consult their colleagues in school and share their issues with others. Teachers join existing online platforms such as the education and training section in RAINN, Scarleteen and TGEEA. These online resources are designed and focused on gender and sexuality education and strive for gender inequity. 

*detailed information attached in the resources section*  

Aligned with our first dimension, since some topics related to gender identity and violence, in certain discussion and group sharing activities, if students are willingly sharing detailed information and their encounterings, they always have a choice to not share in public ways but in alternative and individualized ways. For example, during the class time, students can participate in the classroom activities and teacher-asked-questions through self-reflection, recordings, drawings and other modalities to keep their thoughts to themselves. Teachers provide students with opportunities to converse in one on one settings. In rare cases, students who have traumatic experiences might respond by crying, shouting, anxious stepping, teachers will be well-informed about the consequences stressed in our first dimension and allow students to take a break from classroom activities as well as contact school counselors to help the struggling students.

Teachers and students will collectively establish a community agreement that centers guidelines on how to communicate with respect and values of others and dialogues and shared information will not leave the space. There are ground rules suggested by Arao & Clemens (2013) that we can take into consideration, including Agree to Disagree, Don’t Take Things Personally, Challenge by Choice, Respect and No Attacks (p. 143).

Additionally, these rules will continuously be adjusted by teachers and students during their learning of the curriculum. In the Unit 1 Lesson 1, teachers and students will collectively create their community rules and later at the beginning of each unit, teachers will review and revise the established rules with students. Engaging in course design and rules making further contribute to students’ awareness of inclusive learning, such as thinking beyond gender binary, caring for others needs. Therefore, in this learning environment, through collective efforts to establish a solid communication pact, teachers and students will build a solid foundation to create a safe and inclusive learning environment but also will have their agency and voices in the brave space.  **Detailed guidelines of these ground rules will be at the end of this section**  

The nature of our topics and learning contents are very sensitive and difficult to tackle for both teachers and students, our teachers need to create a safe and inclusive learning environment and hopefully a brave space, which “allows students to engage with on another over controversial issues with honesty, sensitivity (Arao & Clemens, 2013, p.135).” Since the classroom space space will allow teachers to understand and share their vulnerability and sensitivity discussed above, students should also have the same right to their learning journey.

Beyond a collective agreement contributing to a safe space, teachers will promote a brave space where “respectful but challenging dialogues will happen in the classroom (NASPA, 2017, p. 6).” Since these conversations require “risk honesty” from students and considerations of students’ mental preparation that the conversations may be personally challenging, teachers also delve deeper thinking of how to provide suitable ways and activities to bring the conversation and foster shared understanding into the brave space  (NASPA, 2017). 

Teachers can incorporate activities introduced in From Safe Space to Brave Space to initiate and facilitate these dialogues to inspire their authentic contribution to the classroom, raise students’ critical consciousness and practice their agency (Arao & Clemens, 2013). For example, the One Step Forward, On Step Backward activity gives students the opportunity to respond to “a series of statements related to social identity, privilege and oppression (Arao & Clemens, 2013, p. 135).” Additionally resources and guidance for creating a brave space will be provided at the end of this section.