• Reflect on your own interactions: How often do you engage with others beyond surface-level identities or stereotypes? What can you do to be more curious and open to learning about someone’s unique interests, experiences, and stories in a way that feels thoughtful and respectful?

• Reflect on the fear and uncertainty trans and queer individuals may face when starting a new job or classroom, especially in environments where safety and acceptance aren’t guaranteed. How can institutions, educators, and peers work to create genuinely supportive and inclusive cultures so that those who are most vulnerable feel safe, valued, and empowered rather than at risk?

• The speaker shares how hard it is to focus or succeed when you’re just trying to “feel like a person” in spaces where you feel unsafe or invisible. How can you help create an environment where trans and queer individuals feel fully seen, respected, and supported—not just academically or professionally, but as whole people?
• Reflect on how fear of harassment, discrimination, or violence can shape everyday decisions, from applying for jobs to simply using a washroom. What can you do within the spaces you occupy, to help reduce these risks and build environments that actively protect and support queer and trans communities?

In the above video, Kayla shares when everyone chooses to use pronouns, it “makes people feel included and allowing them that sense of humanity that they are trying to get from the outside world”.

Reflection Questions For Educators:

• How do I currently model inclusive practices in my classroom, especially when it comes to affirming students’ identities, such as using correct pronouns? What messages might I be sending (intentionally or unintentionally) through my actions or inaction?
• In what ways can I create a safer and more welcoming environment for transgender and nonbinary students in both verbal and written communication (e.g., syllabi, email signatures, classroom discussions)?
• What barriers including personal, institutional, or cultural might be preventing me or my colleagues from normalizing pronoun use, and how can I begin to address or challenge these?

Reflection Questions for University Students:

• How did Kayla’s story affect the way I think about pronouns and inclusion? Have I considered how a small action like sharing my pronouns can help others feel seen and respected?
• Have I ever made assumptions about someone’s gender or pronouns without asking? How might that impact someone’s sense of safety or belonging?
• What can I do individually or with my peers to help create a more inclusive campus culture for transgender and nonbinary students?

Consider these words shared in the interview: “Deadnaming a trans person in a sense is kind of denying them of their humanity because instead of making them feel welcome and included as they are, you are othering them and making them feel less than publicly”.

• What does the student’s experience tell us about the emotional and social impact of being deadnamed? How might this affect a person’s sense of safety, identity, and belonging in educational space
•  Why do names matter in affirming someone’s identity, especially for transgender and nonbinary people? Can you recall a time when using or hearing the correct name made a meaningful difference to someone?
• How might deadnaming, even when unintentional, contribute to a broader culture of exclusion or marginalization? What does it communicate to the person being deadnamed, and to others witnessing it?
• What steps can you take (as a student or educator) to ensure you are respecting and affirming people’s identities through language? How can we create learning environments where everyone feels seen and valued?