When you don’t have the vocabulary to describe who you are, it’s hard to fit in. Peoria Unified School District special education teacher River Chunnui can relate to this.
Being a non-binary adult who uses the pronouns they/them, and as someone who came out as transgender only about three years ago, they know what it is like to struggle with the vocabulary of one’s identity.
Chunnui said they bring that sensibility into their work with children in the public school system, where LGBTQ students are more likely to experience victimization, violence and suicidality, according to a CDC study released in 2020.
