5 back-to-school gifts for LGBTQ+ students

As back-to-school season rolls around, LGBTQ+ students are buying their classroom wares and getting ready to start their academic years. The proper tools are important right now, particularly as conservative legislators pass laws that try to dim LGBTQ+ students’ ability to express themselves.

Ahead, The Advocate compiled a checklist of items to help queer and trans students feel affirmed and joyful throughout their school years — from cute locker decor, to bag charms, to helpful planners that remind them, you’ve got this!

Transgender Fidgets

Transgender Pride fidgets from Dans Fidget Foundry.

Fidgets can be an important concentration tool for any student. This pack of fidgets from Dans Fidget Foundry come in pink, blue, and white — the colors of the transgender Pride flag — and in a variety of fun shapes and textures. From a heart-shaped toy, to a row of clickable buttons, to a ridged spikey silicone roller, these fidgets can help students focus throughout the day while expressing their Pride. ($6) dansfidgetfoundry.com

Enamel Progressive Pride Pin

A Progress Pride heart enamel pin from Weer.

Pins and students go hand in hand, especially because you can use them to customize your backpack, jacket, lanyard, and more. Weer, formerly known as Gay Pride Apparel, makes durable, heart-shaped enamel pins with the colors of the Progress Pride flag, which will add a pop of color and personality to any ensemble. ($10) gayprideapparel.com

“You Are Safe With Me” Lanyard

The “You Are Safe With Me” lanyard from Weer.

With the amount of keys and student ID cards young queer scholars have to carry around this fall, lanyards are a staple in most schools. Why not make them personal? Weer offers several lanyards that are functional, cute, and promote LGBTQ+ positivity, such as the “You Are Safe With Me” lanyard, the “Be Kind” lanyard, and the “Choose Love” lanyard, all with Progress Pride hearts printed on them. ($9) gayprideapparel.com

Papier “New Beginnings” Planner

Papier’s “New Beginnings” planner features a colorful geometric design.

Planners can be a vital time management tool for anyone in school. For students who want to show their Pride, but also want something subtler than the traditional Pride flag splashed across their planner, Papier makes a color-blocked planner that uses the colors of the rainbow in a chic geometric design. Students can even add stickers to it for another burst of LGBTQ+ pizazz. ($36) papier.com

LGBTQ+ Stickers

The “Bishrexual” bisexual Pride sticker from Gay Nerd Goods.

Stickers can be a great way for LGBTQ+ students to turn a locker, or even a planner, into an affirming oasis. Gay Nerd Goods makes a collection of cute, funny stickers for all identities under the rainbow, including a hilarious “Bishrexual” bi Pride graphic. For students who want something more subtle but still unapologetically queer and nerdy, Gay Nerd Goods also makes an “Emotional Support Blåhaj” sticker with an image of the stuffed IKEA shark toy that has become a popular mascot for trans people online. ($5) gaynerdgoods.com

This article is part of The Advocate's Sept-Oct 2026 print issue, on newsstands September 1. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader starting August 20.

Nancy Pelosi photographed for The Advocate's September-October cover. Photography by Mike Nelson