In 2003, Sacramento City Unified School District community members lobbied the district to place an emphasis on meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ identified youth. In response, the district passed Board Resolution 2355 (2004) to demonstrate the support of school safety for this population of students.

The LGBTQ+ Task Force was formed in 2005 to effectively uncover and address the issues that queer and transgender youth face on their school campuses, and to advocate for what these students need in order to feel comfortable, safe, and supported while at school. The LGBTQ+ Task Force meetings take place each month at rotating school and district locations, and attendees are made up of SCUSD staff and students, local advocacy organization members, and other representatives of the community.

Since 2010, the LGBTQ+ Task Force has worked to address issues that queer and transgender students face each day on school campuses. At that time, the district did not have clear policies to address these issues and concerns. Policies regarding use of restroom facilities, locker rooms, as well as participation in physical education and sports programs were non-existent for transgender and gender variant students in our district. As a result, the district’s LGBTQ+ Task Force determined that a Board policy was needed to address the unique issues facing these students. In 2012, the Task Force created a draft policy for the district that has since been vetted through district committees and was adopted by SCUSD’s Board of Education in December 2013. An updated version of this policy was re-adopted in June 2018.

It is through the engaged feedback from LGBTQ+ Task Force members representing a diversity of identities and backgrounds that the team is able to grow and evolve as a force for change for these youth.