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Publication #FAR1247

 

Struggles and Solutions for Sexual Minority Youth (Part I: Schools)1

Christine Regan and Kate Fogarty2

Figure 1. 
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All adolescents share the same developmental tasks and struggles, many of which are not affected by issues of sexual orientation. However, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered adolescents face a variety of challenges that heterosexual teens do not. For example, according to the Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Education Network (2005), high school students can hear up to twenty-five anti-gay remarks a day, 39% of sexual minority students report being physically harassed because of their sexual orientation, and 29% of them report missing at least one entire day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe.

The majority of these students also claim that a teacher or professional was aware of these remarks and did nothing to correct the situation. Homophobic remarks are probably hurting more sexual minority adolescents than their peers or teachers realize.

Some schools are addressing the issues facingsexual minority adolescents by: (1) creating roles for heterosexual support, for example, educating school counselors to decrease homophobic attitudes; (2) developing gay-straight alliances or other in-school support groups for sexual minority youth; (3) displaying “safe space” rainbow stickers in offices or on doors; (4) developing resource materials such as pamphlets for both sexual minority and heterosexual youth and adults; and (5) advocating for change in the organizational climate, curriculum, and, ultimately, policy that positively affects the lives of sexual minority adolescents by reducing risky behaviors and improving health outcomes in an already challenging period in youth development.

Listening, learning and living together, it’s the science of life. “Family Album” is a co-production of the University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences and of WUFT-FM. If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website at http://familyalbumradio.com.

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References

Anthanases, Steven Z. & Larrabee, Timothy G. (2003). Toward a consistent stance in teaching for equity: Learning to advocate for Lesbian- and Gay-identified youth. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19, 237-261.

Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. (2005). The 2003 National Climate Survey. Retrieved February 11, 2005 from http://www.glsen.org/binary-data/GLSEN_ATTACHMENTS/file/300-3.PDF.

Leck, G.M. (2000). Heterosexual or homosexual? Reconsidering binary narratives on Sexual identities in urban schools. Education and Urban Society, 32(3). 324-348.

Little, J.N. (2001). Embracing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youth in school-basedsettings. Child & Youth Care Forum, 30(2), 99-110.

Mufioz-Plaza, C., Quinn, S.C., Rounds, K.A. (2002). Lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender students: Perceived social support in the high school environment. The High School Journal, Apr/May 2002, 52-63.

Nesmith, Andrea A., Burton, David L. & Cosgrove, T.S. (1999). Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and young adults: Social support in their own words. Journal of Homosexuality, 37(1), 95-109.

Schneider, M.E. & Owens, R.E. (2000). Concern for lesbian, gay, and bisexual kids. Education and Urban Society, 32(3), 349-367.

Resources for Adults who Work with Youth (also see national organizations below)

The American Psychological Association's Healthy Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students Project works with schools to help prevent risky behaviors and improve health outcomes for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth: http://www.apa.org/ed/hlgb/.

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educators Network combats harassment and discrimination of gay students and school personnel: http://www.glsen.org.

The NEA's “Strengthening the Learning Environment: A School Employee's Guide to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Issues.” 2nd Edition: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/glbtstrengthenlearningenvirong2006.pdf [19 September 2012].

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays: http://www.pflag.org.

Resources for Youth

Advocates for Youth- http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/storage/advfy/documents/gay.pdf [24 September 2012].

Book resources- http://www.bidstrup.com/parbiblio.htm

Campus Pride- http://www.campuspride.net

Coming out Stories- http://www.avert.org/coming-out-stories.htm [24 September 2012].

Equality Ride- http://www.equalityride.com

Gay and Lesbian National Hotline- http://www.glnh.org/index.html

Gay Health- http://www.gayhealth.com/templates/0/index.html [19 September 2012] Shout Out Health http://www.shoutouthealth.com/

Gay Youth Corner- http://www.thegyc.com

Outproud- http://www.oasisjournals.com/ [24 September 2012]

Queer America- http://www.oasisjournals.com/ [24 September 2012]

Young Gay America- http://www.younggayamerica.com/index1.shtml

Youth.org- http://www.youth.org/ [24 September 2012].

Youthline- http://www.youthline.ca/

Youth Resource- http://www.youthresource.com

National Organizations that Support Sexual Minority Adolescents

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - http://www.aacap.org

American Psychological Association- http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/policy/pshome.htm

American School Counselor Association- http://www.schoolcounselor.org

Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists- http://www.aglp.org

Human Rights Campaign- http://www.hrc.org

Human Rights Watch- http://www.hrw.org

National Association of School Psychologists- http://www.nasponline.org

National Education Association- http://www.nea.org

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force- http://www.thetaskforce.org/

National Mental Health Association- http://www.nmha.org

Religious Organizations that Support Sexual Minority Adolescents

Affirmation: (Latter Day Saints)- http://www.affirmation.org/

Affirmation: (United Methodists)- http://www.umaffirm.org/

Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists- http://www.wabaptists.org/

Friends for LGBTQ Concerns (Quakers)- http://www.quaker.org/flgbtqc/

Integrity (Episcopalian)- http://www.integrityusa.org/

Lutherans Concerned- http://www.lcna.org/

Metropolitan Community Church- http://mccchurch.org/

Presbyterian for LGTBQ Concerns- http://www.mlp.org/

Seventh-Day Adventist Kinship- http://www.sdakinship.org/

Soul Force (All faiths)- http://www.soulforce.org/

Truth Sets Free (All faiths)- http://www.truthsetsfree.net/

Unity Fellowship of Church of Christ- http://www.ufc-usa.org/

World Congress of LGBT Jews- http://glbtjews.org/

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR5002, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 384 in January 2007. Published on EDIS August 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Christine Regan, student, and Kate Fogarty, assistant professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.