LGBTQ Student Victimization.

AuthorTuttle, Chris
PositionMIND BODY

"WE'VE SEEN great progress on dismantling homophobia and transphobia over the past decade, and increasing access to LGBTQ-inclusive supports in K-12 schools. Unfortunately... that continued progress has slowed and, in some cases, we see no change at all. Worse still, our findings indicate that many schools have become even more hostile towards transgender and gender nonconforming youth," says Joseph Kosciw, chief research and strategy officer at GLSEN, which has released its National School Climate Survey, showing for the first time in a decade that victimization of LGBTQ youth is not decreasing at rates previously seen--and has, in fact, gotten worse for transgender and gender nonconforming youth.

However, "the good news we continue to see is that LGBTQ youth have better mental health and academic outcomes in schools with supportive and inclusive policies, educators, curriculum, and student-led GSA [originally called Gay-Straight Alliance] clubs."

Begun in 1999, the biennial National School Climate Survey has become the largest body of research on the experiences of LGBTQ youth in schools in the U.S., examining indicators of negative school climate (biased remarks, victimization, and discrimination); the effects of school climate on student outcomes; and the availability and benefits of key school-based supports shown to improve the lives of LGBTQ youth. The latest survey is the largest and most-geographically inclusive research sample ever of LGBTQ students between 13 and 21 years of age, from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.

Among the findings:

* There has been a steady increase in youth reporting negative remarks about transgender people, and a recent upward trend in the frequency of staff making negative remarks about gender expression.

* Some 87.3% of LGBTQ students experience harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender expression, gender, religion, race and ethnicity, and disability. Seven in 10 LGBTQ students experience verbal harassment at school based on sexual orientation, more than half based on gender expression (59.1%) or gender (53.2%).

* More than one-third of LGBTQ students missed at least one day of school in the last month because of feeling unsafe, and at least two in five students avoid...

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