Amidst a backdrop of rising hate crimes and hostility towards the trans community, educational institutions have emerged as an area of contestation. How can educators navigate this to create rights respecting classrooms that empower active citizens who advocate for trans equality? This piece provides a community-based commentary that considers the legal responsibilities and duties of teachers to safeguard children and young people. It informs us on opportunities for the consideration of educators' duties through the lens of Yogyakarta Principles+10 and the UNCRC. The Citizenship PGCE, teacher education course at the Institute of Education, University College London's Faculty of Education and UK Charity Diversity Role Models together with seed funding from IOE's Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment Innovation and Enterprise scheme worked with Citizenship student teachers and teacher school mentors in a mutual transference of knowledge to develop LGBTQ+ inclusive classroom practices in England. This collaborative community-based commentary reflects the opportunities offered by Citizenship education to create empowering, safe, and rights respecting learning environments for trans and gender-diverse youth. We built on an exchange of knowledge approach that develops critical thinking and empathy building in human rights education through personal stories. The sharing of stories from marginalised communities, described by Solórzano and Yosso (2002) as counter-stories, has a long and rich history in challenging dominant narratives that underpin oppressive hierarchies. They humanise and contextualise the impact of prejudice and discrimination on individuals and wider communities (Delgado, 1989). This knowledge exchange initiative can enable educators to learn about their legal duties in order to safeguard learning spaces.