Course Description:  This class is for those who want to become allies to individuals and families experiencing or exploring gender change and/or gender fluidity. It will be co-taught by two grandparents supporting their grandchildren as they move through a gender transition. Their perspective will be supplemented by other members of the Pelican Cove community whose children or grandchildren have also transitioned or are in the process of doing so and also by representatives of local support organizations. The class will focus on understanding and supporting. It is not envisioned as an opportunity to debate this as a social issue.

Location: Harbor

Dates/Times: Wednesdays, Feb 5 to Feb 26, from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm

Instructors: Herb Levine, Michelle Partlow

Michelle Partlow became a trans activist, advocate, and ally when her family discovered that her three-year-old grandchild was a trans male. For the past 10 years, she has been the facilitator for the Grandparent Support Group at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. As a school principal she created and implemented trans-friendly policies and advocated for their creation at other schools. Her doctorate is in Educational Leadership.

Herb Levine is the grandparent of a teen who is gender fluid. He organized the first support group at Pelican Cove for parents and grandparents of Trans children and grandchildren. He has also spoken at the Sarasota School Board against the banning of books on LGBTQ topics. He has been a regular teacher at PCU since 2020.