PSD's Commitment to a Welcoming Environment
PSD is committed to ensuring that all students, including LGBTQIA+ students, have a safe and welcoming environment that is free from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. PSD is proud to be a district that continuously strives to better include and support LGBTQIA+ students, families, staff, and community.
See below to learn about the LGBTQIA+ community, discover ways that PSD supports LGBTQIA+ students, or connect to additional resources from local and national organizations.
Learn About the LGBTQIA+ Community
Identities, Terms and Inclusive Language
The LGBTQIA+ community includes individuals who hold a spectrum of identities and orientations. The following documents support individuals who want to learn about identities and terms related to the LGBTQIA+ community and ways to increase inclusive language.
- Looking to better understand how identities and terms relate to each other? LGBTQIA+ Terminology and Definitions: Categories - This document offers terms and definitions organized into categories (e.g., terms related to gender expression, types of attraction, cisgender vs. transgender, etc.).
- Looking for a specific term definition? LGBTQIA+ Terminology and Definitions: Alphabetical can help make this search easier with terms and definitions organized alphabetically.
PSD Resources for LGBTQIA+ Students and Families
Policies and Guidelines
While PSD policies may be applicable to all students, there are some policies and guidelines that contain information about prohibited discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression that may be uniquely relevant to LGBTQIA+ students and their families.
- AC - Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity discusses discrimination based on protected classes, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
- JBB - Harassment of Students discusses prohibited harassment of students in general and specifically on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
- The District Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary Students clarify how discrimination and harassment policies and laws specifically apply to transgender and non-binary students and set out protocols for staff to address the needs and support students in various situations.
- These PSD guidelines are summarized into key points for PSD staff here.
- Frequently Asked Questions About Gender Support in PSD answers common questions from students, families, and staff about the content of the District Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary Students.
Board of Education Resolutions
The PSD Board of Education adopts resolutions throughout the year to recognize certain days, weeks or months as significant to individuals holding various identities and cultures within the PSD community, including resolutions that honor and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.
- October 2022 - LGBTQ+ History Month
- June 2022 - Pride Month
- March 31, 2022 - Transgender Day of Visibility
School-Sponsored Student Clubs
Student clubs are intended to create safe spaces for students to connect with other students who identify within or are allies of the LGBTQIA+ community. All middle and high schools post information about their student clubs on their website, and the links below lead to the list of school-sponsored clubs at each school that currently sponsors a Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA), Spectrum, or similar club.
- Blevins Middle School - GSA
- Boltz Middle School - Spectrum
- Cache La Poudre Middle School - GSA
- Fort Collins High School - Rainbow Road
- Fossil Ridge High School - GSA
- Poudre High School - Spectrum
- Rocky Mountain High School - GSA
- Wellington Middle-High School - GSA (Middle School) & GSA (high school)
Incident Reporting: See Something, Say Something
Students are encouraged to report any incident of discrimination and/or harassment in PSD, including students who experience discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Students who would like to report an incident online rather than in-person at their school may do so on PSD’s See Something, Say Something reporting site.
Crisis Support: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. 
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 or chat online to get connected to a trained counselor at a crisis center. The 988 Lifeline began a pilot program in fall 2022 that aims to support people under the age of 25 who reach out to 988 Lifeline and want the option of connecting with a counselor specifically focused on meeting the needs of LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults.
- The Trevor Project – Call 1-866-488-7386, text ‘START’ to 678-678, or chat online to get connected to a crisis counselor understands the challenges LGBTQIA+ young people face.
Additional Resources
Legal Name and/or Gender Changes
Parents/guardians of LGBTQIA+ students who are looking for information about how to legally change their student’s name and/or gender on identity documents, such as birth certificates and driver’s licenses may find these organizations and resources in Colorado helpful:
- The Colorado Judicial Branch has a self-help page on name changes that provides instructions about various name changes, including instructions for a parent petitioning for a child name change.
- Colorado Name Change Project is a nonprofit organization that assists transgender Coloradans with their legal name change and gender marker corrections.
- One Colorado is the state’s leading advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equality for LGBTQ+ Coloradans and their families. The website includes information for transgender and non-binary individuals and their parents/guardians about updating their gender marker on their birth certificate, driver’s license, or Colorado state ID.
National Resources
A number of national organizations are dedicated to serving the LGBTQIA+ community through education and advocacy on LGBTQIA+ topics. Here are a few:
- Gender Spectrum supports gender-diverse children and teens through education and support for families, educators, and other professionals
- GLSEN focuses on cultivating safe, supportive, and LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 education and school environments
- My Kid is Gay is a digital organization dedicated to helping families understand and accept their LGBTQ+ kids
- PFLAG is dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families
- Pronouns.org provides education on the inclusive use of personal pronouns
- The Safe Zone Project provides free online curricula, activities, and resources for educators facilitating Safe Zone trainings and learners hoping to explore these concepts on their own
- The Trevor Project is a suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ+ young people
Colorado Laws that Support the LGBTQIA+ Community
Colorado Laws
3 CCR 708-1: Rule 81.6 – Sexual Orientation Harassment: Unlawful harassment is severe or pervasive conduct that creates an environment that is subjectively and objectively hostile, intimidating, or offensive on the basis of sexual orientation. Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Asking unwelcome personal questions about an individual’s sexual orientation;
- Intentionally causing distress to an individual by disclosing to others the individual’s sexual orientation;
- Using offensive names or terminology regarding an individual’s sexual orientation;
- Deliberately misusing an individual’s preferred name, form of address, or gender-related pronouns; or
- Harassing, subjecting to different treatment, discharging, demoting, or denying promotion opportunities or employment benefits to an individual because of open discussion or other communication or presentation related to an individual’s gender expression, transgender status, or sexual orientation.
- Note: Sexual orientation is defined as a person’s orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgender status or another person’s perception thereof.
3 CCR 708-1: Rule 81.7 – Advertising: It is a violation of the Law for an advertisement to indicate a preference, limitation, specification, or discriminate based upon sexual orientation in employment, housing or public accommodation.
3 CCR 708-1: Rule 81.9 – Dress and Grooming Standards: Covered entities may prescribe standards of dress or grooming that serve a reasonable business or institutional purpose, provided that they shall not require an individual to dress or groom in a manner inconsistent with the individual’s gender identity.
3 CCR 708-1: Rule 81.9 – Gender-Segregated Facilities: Nothing in the Act prohibits segregation of facilities on the basis of gender.
- All covered entities shall allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities that are consistent with their gender identity. Gender-segregated facilities include, but are not limited to, restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and dormitories.
- In gender-segregated facilities where undressing in the presence of others occurs, covered entities shall make reasonable accommodations to allow access consistent with an individual’s gender identity.
C.R.S. 24-34-601: It is a discriminatory practice and unlawful for a person, directly or indirectly, to refuse, withhold from, or deny to an individual or a group, because of…sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, [or] gender expression… the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation.
CO House Bill 21-1108: The act adds the terms "gender expression" and "gender identity" to statutes prohibiting discrimination against members of a protected class, including statutes prohibiting discriminatory practices in the following areas:
- Employment practices
- Places of public accommodation
- Enrollment in a charter school, institute charter school, public school, or pilot school
- Local school boards’ written policies regarding employment, promotion, and dismissal
- The assignment or transfer of a public school teacher
Note: This list is not fully inclusive of what’s written into the bill; only items related to public schools are included here.