Chapter 3: Federal
State and Local Policy Interventions
Some protections for students already exist. The 14th
Amendment, Title IX and the Equal Access Act allow students protection from
violence and harassment, and also allow them to create gay-supportive clubs at
school. Some states have passed more specific laws to stop bullying. Schools
should create and enforce nondiscrimination and harassment rules. Teachers have
to speak up about any harassment, and can also help by including LGBT culture
and history in curriculum.
Gay Straight Alliances have proven very effective in
supporting LGBT students, but clear nondiscrimination policies with financing
and support from admin, teachers, the community and student leaders is
important.
Under the first Amendment, A transgender student’s right to
dress in any clothes available to any other student of the same gender
identity.
Tells the story of Alana Flores from Live Oak High School in
Morgan Hill. In the 1990s, she was harassed for three years straight about
being a lesbian. Her teachers did nothing to help her and she attempted
suicide. Eventually she and other students who had been harassed sued the
Morgan Hill Unified School District. In 2003, the Court of Appeals issued a
decision that they had violated the 14th Amendment’s equal
protection clause and needed to improve things at the school.
Sexual Harassment that makes it difficult for a student to
learn is covered under Title IX and is another way students can be protected.
Schools are only held liable if they are aware of the harassment.
Congress first was given a bill called the Safe Schools
Improvement Act that would help fund anti-discrimination policies in 2007. They
have yet to pass it, despite the testimony of numerous people who’ve been
bullied in school and the parents of students who have killed themselves as a
result of bullying.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act would prevent funding of
anything on campus that discriminates against LGBT students (or those perceived
as LGBT). This was also held up by
Republicans in the Senate.
Chapter 4: School
Based Programs and Practices
Gay Teachers have sometimes been afraid to come out because
they feel they will be unfairly accused of child molestation (or “recruitment
into a homosexual lifestyle” as some have labeled it; despite repeated studies
showing there is no connection between the two).
Studies have shown that having an openly gay teacher or
other role model is a self-esteem building experience for most LGBT youth. Gay students with supportive faculty were
more likely to come to school, have a higher GPA and go to college. Students
who are heterosexual can also benefit for the usual reasons people benefit from
diversity.
Teachers mainly fail LGBT youth due to a lack of
training. They should be taught how to
recognize someone struggling with gender identity or orientation and to
intervene if they’re being bullied.
Several groups offer training for school districts,
including the ACLU. Their goals are to get teachers to understand LGBTQ
terminology, have empathy for students and understand how to intervene in
anti-LGBT bullying. (I’m sure there is a speaker we could get to address this
at our school.
One good thing to do is to work important gay writers or
historical figures into class when possible, as usually homosexuality is only
brought up during HIV/AIDS health class discussions. Suggestions include the
Stonewall Riots and James Baldwin. Studies show that this also helps LGBT
students feel safer at school.
California tends to do well in studies when it comes to
supporting students. The South was the least supportive region for LGBT
students.
There’s a lot in the chapter on how to go about starting a
Gay Straight Alliance and the numerous benefits. (This seems to be happening at
the High School Level more than Middle School, but it’s something to consider).
Chapter 5: The No Child Left Behind Act and LGBT
Students
Standardized tests do not reflect any LGBT history or
literature; something that might go a long way to make them feel more included.
Similarly, mandatory internet filtering at many schools
rules out learning about gender and sexual identity.
While there is nothing specific about LGBT students, there
are some provisions in NCLB that allow for a safe school environment for all
students.
Chapter 6: Sex
Education, Abstinence-Only Programs and HIV Prevention.
LGBT Advocates are very opposed to Abstinence-Only education
programs. Research shows they are ineffective in preventing pregnancy and STDs.
Students from abstinence-only education are just as likely to engage in sexual
activity, but much less likely to use contraception or get checked for
potential STDs. In addition they tend to reinforce a number of gender stereotypes.
In addition, they often share false information about how
HIV spreads and indicate that condoms are only about 15% effective when they
are 98% effective. They also make untrue and disparaging claims about gay
people. President Obama has largely defunded these programs.
About half of the new cases of HIV are young gay men of
color. By keeping these programs, they were failing to prepare young people
properly. The more accepted LGBT youth feel also plays a factor. When they are
accepted by families and peers, or at schools with things like gay-straight
alliances, they are much less likely to engage in risky behavior.
Chapter 7: Issues
affecting research on LGBT
This book is a summary of most of the research out there.
For political and religious reasons, Congress often refuses to put money
towards research on the LGBT community, and there is extremely little on
Transgendered students.
Because of the lack of research money to go around, there is
not a consistent terminology when it comes to sexual identity and orientation.
It’s bad for LGBT people in general and worse for the youth.
This book proposes that there be more research (both
quantitative and qualitative), and also some Participatory Action Research,
where the LGBT community is deciding the direction the research should go in.
Chapter 8: The Need
for research on understudied LGBT populations
Even when studies are conducted, they virtually never focus
on LGBT youth of color. There’s been 9, with 0 focusing on transgender youth of
color and their issues. There is no literature about LGBT youth in immigrant
communities or rural areas. There are many questions to ask about how LGBT
youth are affected in different areas. Are LGBT topics mentioned less
frequently in rural areas etc?
They propose a series of potential topics for researching,
including:
Youth with LGBT parents, teachers attitudes toward LGBT
youth and topics, LGBT youth outside of school, the effectiveness of GSAs and
other interventions and many others.
Chapter 9: Conclusions
and Policy recommendations: Making it better for LGBT youth
At a federal level, the book recommends enforcement of
anti-bullying and discrimination laws already in existence. They also encourage
Congress to pass a non-discrimination law specific to LGBT youth, comprehensive
sex education, hold accountable those who continue to discriminate in Congress,
and call out homophobia. Finally, qualified LGBT people should be added to
boards and committees that guide the enforcement of these rules. States should
essentially do the same stuff, and eliminate “no promo homo” laws that prevent
teachers from having age appropriate discussions about LGBT issues with
students.
At a school level they should do the following:
School districts should adopt regulations preventing
discrimination against real or perceived gender identity and orientation,
enforce safety and bullying laws, ensure that staff is culturally competent,
allow LGBT teachers to safely come out and be role models for LGBT students,
conduct surveys about bullying, support GSAs, include age appropriate books in
the library about LGBT figures and allow students to search for LGBT issues
online.
They acknowledge again that research on Transgender youth is
especially weak, and it needs to be done. Schools and admin need training and
to be supportive of students expressing their gender identity.
The final conclusion is that society has to continue to
change and be more supportive. Families need to support LGBT children, and it
would be nice to see schools, businesses and all of America start to do the
same.
