IntroductionIn our world today, various groups of people are discriminated against because of their race, religion or sex. Facing such discrimination on a daily basis poses an obstacle that can make the easy difficult and the simple increasingly complex. People belonging to minority groups may face discrimination to the extent that the negative actions of others towards them can cause them serious and lasting psychological and physical harm. Experiencing discrimination and prejudice in all its forms can make school extremely difficult for students (Amoroso, Loyd & Hoobler, 2009; Asher, 2007; Steffens, Jelenec & Noack, 2010). Discrimination, while unfortunately experienced by many groups, is often experienced by those who do not conform to socially specified gender roles, whether these individuals consider themselves transgender, homosexual, or simply gender nonconforming (Gagne and Tweksbury , 1996; , 2010; Harry, 1983). Although discrimination against gender nonconforming adults is a well-known phenomenon, only a small portion of research has focused on studying the experiences of gender nonconforming children and their families. In the present research, the role of the primary school teacher in the experiences of gender non-conforming children is investigated. It is hypothesized that elementary school teachers will demonstrate unconscious bias toward more gender-conforming students, resulting in less positive and welcoming relationships with more gender-nonconforming students. We will determine this by examining both teacher and student perceptions.The Power of the TeacherIn addition to families and peers, teachers play a central role when it comes to the psychological environment...... paper.. ....lence as well as happy families. NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee (March 2007). Gender identity disorders in childhood and adolescence: a critical investigation and review of the research of Kenneth Zucker. Rieger, G., Lisenmeier, J., Bailey, J. and Gygax, L. (2008). Sexual orientation and gender nonconformity in childhood: Evidence from home videos. Developmental Psychology, 44, 46-58. Steffens, M., Jelenc, P. and Noack, P. (2010). On the leaky math pipeline: Comparing implicit math stereotypes and math withdrawal among female and male children and adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 947-963. Wood, D., Kurtz-Costes , B., Okeke-Adeyanju, N. and Rowley, S. (2010). Mothers' academic stereotypes and education-related beliefs about sons and daughters in African American families. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(2), 521-530.