07 Apr Q&A: San Pablo Elementary Students to Present LGBTQ+ Research at National Conference

Joy Diaz-Noriega is a teacher and leader of the Rainbow Gems student group at Downer Elementary School in San Pablo. (Photo and graphic by Denis Perez-Bravo / The CC Pulse)

Interview, Denis Perez-Bravo

Students involved in the Rainbow Gems program at Downer Elementary School will present research at the American Educational Research Association conference in Los Angeles this week. Rainbow Gems is a student-led space exploring identity, language and empowerment overseen by teacher Joy Diaz-Noriega. 

Now in its third year, the club is an LGBTQIA2S+ identity group for West Contra Costa Unified School District K-6 students. The acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, two-spirit and other forms of sexual and gender identity. 

The group is still fundraising for the Wednesday to Sunday trip. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Contra Costa Pulse: What are students presenting at AERA, and why does it matter at the elementary level? 

Joy Diaz-Noriega: I will be taking five youths with me to the conference. It’s actually a mix of
fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grade [from Downer and Helms Middle School]. 

The research question that they are going to be presenting on is [about] queer, trans, race and trans language, affirming abolitionist education, radically healing and imaginative for multilingual queer, trans, Black, Indigenous students of color, our school and our community. 

So they’re looking at the impact of teaching about queer history, education — what’s the impact of being able to use all of our languages everywhere we go in our school? 

What does it mean to learn about abolition? Why is an abolitionist education important? How does that impact their learning, their mental health, their wellness, their care? 

Contra Costa Pulse: What are students actually questioning or challenging through this work? 

Joy Diaz-Noriega: What would school be like if these things weren’t in place? What would school be like if Rainbow Gems didn’t exist and how we treat each other in Rainbow Gems wasn’t a thing? 

These are some of the topics that they are learning about, reading about, writing about and talking about with each other through circles and conversations pretty much every week. 

Contra Costa Pulse: How did Rainbow Gems start, and how did it grow into what it is today? 

Joy Diaz-Noriega: The history of Rainbow Gems really goes back to a student that I met while I was student teaching here at Downer. 

I had a student who had changed their name and was going through a transition, and I was pretty much kind of just observing and trying to get to know them. I learned that they used a different identity at school, and some folks respected it and some didn’t — it felt like a new thing at the school site. 

I approached the student and I was like, ‘Hey, have you heard of a GSA [gay-straight alliance] club?’ 

I asked, ‘Are you interested in having a space similar like that for students here at Downer?’ and they said, ‘Yeah.’ 

Little by little, the student would knock on my door throughout the year and be like, ‘Hey, this is so-and-so, and they want to join.’ 

It started with students talking to other students about it. 

Contra Costa Pulse: What do students do in the program? 

Joy Diaz-Noriega: Our activities vary every week. I don’t really have anything calendar programmed because I like to meet students where they’re at. 

We do identity maps, learning about where we come from and sharing that with each other. 

We’ve been talking about the importance of our gender identity, our linguistic identity, our identities — literally every part of who we are and how and why that matters. 

We had a cipher where we went outside, played some beats and wrote songs together about immigration, about being students in school, about being bullied. 

They know that they’re going to come and learn something or share experiences, and they know that they actually want to be here. 

Contra Costa Pulse: Some people might say elementary students are too young for this. Why do you disagree? 

Joy Diaz-Noriega: I feel hella honored and grateful to be able to co-hold Rainbow Gems [with] students. 

I didn’t know that I was going to be doing this work. 

Rainbow Gems emerged out of students, and I happen to be here to support it and co-hold that with them. 

To my knowledge, Rainbow Gems, if not the only queer or GSA or LGBTQ club in elementary, is probably one of the first in our district. We hardly hear about GSAs in elementary school. 

There’s an assumption in the world that elementary school students don’t understand who they are or what’s going on, but no one is asking them or making space to hear from them. 

Contra Costa Pulse: What are some concepts the youth have brought up?  

Joy Diaz-Noriega: [Recently,] we met, and students were unpacking our research question. Students said, ‘Without Rainbow Gems, people would make fun of queer, trans folks. Rainbow Gems’ role is to stop homophobia. We need to speak out, show them the right way to treat people, and tell an adult.’ 

You can see students want to be active. They want to take a role, and they understand that they can’t do this alone. They’re saying we must be able to have communication with an adult. We need to be able to have adult support with folks being homophobic or transphobic at school. 

Another student said, ‘Teachers need to understand they should trust their students when students talk about their identity.’  

Here, students are saying that if I go up to you and express my gender identity, my queerness, my sexuality to you and talk to you about these things, believe me, trust me and see me. Don’t judge me, don’t tell me I should be anything else, just listen.  

And another student said, ‘Your life, your body, your voice, your choice.’  

A fourth grader said that. The fourth grader understands all these things. It was so beautiful. 

Contra Costa Pulse: Have you faced any pushback from parents or the community, and how do you respond?  

Joy Diaz-Noriega: [There has been] no pushback. Families and community have been supportive and understanding. Students were so excited to know that most individual donations [for the trip] came [from] Downer staff.

The only challenges we have faced are due to ongoing ICE kidnappings and deportations. Families were worried and concerned about their children’s safety, so they opted out.  

Contra Costa Pulse: What do you hope these students carry with them from this experience? 

Joy Diaz-Noriega: I hope this is a long-lasting experience and memory for them. They will be the first in our district to present at AERA as elementary [and] middle school scholars. The stories, insights, learnings and recommendations they will share have the power to transform our schools and communities.