Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools

Using data from GLSEN's fifth National School Climate Survey, this report documents the school experiences of 295 transgender middle and high school students and finds that these students face extremely high levels of victimization, even more so than their non-transgender lesbian, gay and bisexual peers

Shared Differences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students of Color in Our Nation's Schools

The report documents the school experiences of over 2,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) U.S. middle and high school students of color who were African American or Black, Latino/a, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American, and multiracial

Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them

During the past decade, the United States has witnessed growing understanding and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and increased legal protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Rarely, however, have the experiences and lives of bisexual people, who comprise more than half of the entire LGBT community, been explicitly considered in the social or legal narrative. Rather, bisexual people are frequently swept into the greater lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community, their specific disparities made invisible within data about the LGB community as a whole.Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them focuses on the "invisible majority" of the LGBT community, the nearly five million adults in the U.S. who identify as bisexual and the millions more who have sexual or romantic attraction to or contact with people of more than one gender. The report provides an overview of current research so we can better understand those who comprise the largest share of the LGB population. It also examines how bias, stigma, discrimination, and invisibility combine to create serious negative outcomes for bisexual people, and it provides concrete recommendations for change. Finally, sidebars throughout the report highlight the lived experiences of bisexual people—and the pervasive discrimination and key disparities they face

Gender and Sexual Minority College Students: The Risk and Extent of Victimization and Related Health and Educational Outcomes

A multisite survey conducted at eight campuses of a southwestern university system provides the data for the present study, total N = 17,039 with 1,869 gender and sexual minority (GSM) students. Sexual violence was measured using the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES), and analysis included both the participant’s risk of experiencing sexual violence and the extent (or total count) of sexual violence experienced. This study poses the following research questions: What effects do gender identity and sexual orientation have on the risk and extent of sexual violence among students and, among victims, what is the relationship between gender identity/sexual orientation and mental health (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression) and academic environment (disengagement and safety) outcomes for university students? Multilevel, random effect hurdle models captured this sequential victimization dynamic. GSM and cisgender heterosexual (CH) female students are predicted to be 2.6 and 3 times, respectively, as likely to experience sexual violence compared with CH male students. In addition, GSM students experiencing sexual violence are also expected to experience a greater number of sexually violent acts (74% more) over their college career compared with victimized CH male students. The models confirm that the risk of victimization increases over time (13% per year for CH male students), but GSM students are expected to experience an additional (10%) increase in risk of victimization per year compared with CH male students. GSM and CH female students are also predicted to be more likely to have PTSD and experience more severe depression symptoms than CH male students. GSM students are expected to experience significantly higher rates of PTSD, worse depressive symptoms, and greater disengagement than CH female students. The discussion explores how institutions of higher education might recognize the resilience of GSM students and consider the protective potential of social and community support when developing programs or interventions for diverse populations.IC2 Institut

Links Between Social Support, Thwarted Belongingness, and Suicide Ideation among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual College Students

Emerging adults with a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) identity are at greater risk for engaging in suicide-related behaviors. This disparity highlights a need to elucidate specific risk and protective factors associated with suicide-related behaviors among LGB youth, which could be utilized as targets for suicide prevention efforts in this population. Informed by the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, the present study hypothesized that social support would be indirectly associated with decreased suicide ideation via lower thwarted belongingness. A sample of 50 emerging adults (62.0% male, 70.0% Hispanic) who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning, or “other” orientation, with a mean age of 20.84 years (SD = 3.30 years), completed self-report assessments. Results indicated that support from both family and the LGB community were associated with lower thwarted belongingness over and above the effects of age, sex, and depressive symptoms. Indirect effects models also indicated that both family and LGB community support were associated with suicide ideation via thwarted belongingness. The results of the present study suggest that family and LGB community support may represent specific targets for reducing thwarted belongingness that could be leveraged in suicide prevention efforts for LGB emerging adults

Out Online: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth on the Internet

This report examines the online experiences of LGBT students in 6-12th grade. LGBT youth experience nearly three times as much bullying and harassment online as non-LGBT youth, but also find greater peer support, access to health information and opportunities to be civically engaged

Can Student-Built GSAs Provide Positive Development for LGBT Youth in High Schools? A Review of Literature

Within school systems, there are sexual minority students that are not treated with the same amount of attention that the sexual majority gets. These minority students include individuals that identify as bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, or questioning. These students would fall under the category of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, or pan/polysexual (LGBTQQIAP). Many LGBT students in high school report feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation (Hong, Espelage, and Kral 885- 886). Many of these students, especially in rural areas, require some form of support within the school system for healthy positive development. Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) are especially notable when they are student-run and student-built. There are many positive correlations between the presence of a GSA and the success of the LGBT students within that school system. Internalized homophobia is a major mental health issue that can be reduced by utilizing certain forms of support for adolescents, especially within school systems. GSAs, especially student-made ones, provide a unique opportunity to help educate not only the student body, but the teachers and staff of the schools as well. The more educated the staff is, the more likely they are to provide some intervention when sexual minority youth are being harassed; it would also provide them with ways in which to deal with common sexual minority issues such as parental rejection and peer rejection. GSAs may provide the necessary feeling of inclusion for LGBT teens that helps reduce the effects of verbal and physical harassment (Russel, Muraco, Subramaniam, and Laub 891-892). This paper first considers research on the consequences of heterosexism or internalized homophobia, research on where heterosexism comes from, covering (hiding) one’s sexual identity, how to reduce heterosexism, and finally how GSAs combat heterosexism in schools

Unique Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Youth

With this resource guide, Healthy Teen Network intends to draw attention to the unique sexual, reproductive and parenting needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning youth; add to the voices calling for a shift in our thinking about them; and call for parity in education, services and supports for LGBTQ individuals

From Statehouse to Schoolhouse: Anti-Bullying Policy Efforts in U.S. States and School Districts

In 2011, 29.5 percent of U.S. public school districts didn't have anti-bullying policies, including many districts in states that require them, according to a report published by GLSEN. In states with such mandates, 26.3 percent of districts didn't have local policies. The report shows the gap that can emerge between the intentions of a law and the effectiveness of its implementation via policy and regulations