Students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) have many of the same concerns as their straight peers. But LGBT teens can face extra challenges.
One recent nationwide survey found that three-quarters of LGBT teens had been harassed or assaulted at school. Challenges like these can make it harder for LGBT students to reach their full academic potential. Abuse at school also can affect their emotional and physical health.
Research shows that LGBT students who are victimized, discriminated against, or isolated at school are much more likely than their peers to:
Teachers need to be aware of suicide-prevention methods. Warning signs — for any student — include:
Schools have been sued for negligence for failing to:
Experts agree that all students — whether LGBT or not — miss less school and have fewer mental health issues when they're part of a positive learning environment that's free of bullying and anti-LGBT remarks.
The good news is that LGBT kids who are treated with respect at school do just as well as their peers, in academics and personal health.
When you're talking with LGBT students, it's helpful to know some basic definitions.
Sexual orientation refers to the gender to which a person is romantically and physically attracted. Gay people are attracted to people of the same sex. (Gay females are also called lesbian.) Bisexual (or "bi") people are attracted to people of both sexes.
People do not have to be sexually active or even dating to identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. In fact, many homosexual people become aware of their orientation long before puberty. They may have same-sex crushes in early childhood, just as their heterosexual (or "straight") peers have opposite-sex crushes.
Being transgender is not a sexual orientation. It's about gender identity — our innate sense of ourselves as male or female. Most people's gender identity matches their anatomy. But transgender people feel different from their physical appearances. A transgender child born with female anatomy may identify as a boy; one born with male anatomy may identify as a girl. Some may feel neither gender fits them well.
Medical experts view sexual orientation and gender identity as part of someone's nature. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not preferences that people can change.
In addition to LGBT, you may sometimes see the initials LGBTQ. The "Q" stands for "questioning," and includes people who aren't sure of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The first step in connecting with LGBT teens and creating a safe learning environment is to be aware of your own biases or gender stereotypes. We all have ideas about how people should act. We might think that boys should be "tough" or that all girls are interested in clothes. Bringing these kinds of biases into the classroom can result in shutting out students who don't fit these molds — straight and gay alike.
Teachers also might be used to speaking in ways that seem harmless, but aren't. Potentially hurtful language could include:
Regardless of personal views on homosexuality and gender identity, a primary responsibility of an educator is to help ensure students are able to learn. In the United States, Title IX requires schools to create a safe, nondiscriminatory environment for all students in federally funded education programs, regardless of sex, gender identity, or how closely they fit gender norms.
You can create a safe, welcoming environment in your classroom and at your school in lots of ways. Many teachers have had success with strategies like these:
A common misconception among educators is that supporting LGBT students means talking with them about sex. This is not the case. LGBT teens have the same kinds of friendship and relationship struggles that other students face.
If an LGBT student comes out to you:
If you don't feel comfortable or knowledgeable about a specific issue an LGBT teen is facing, you can offer to read up on it. Or you can refer the student to another teacher, school counselor, or school social worker who can help. You also can ask another educator to approach the student with an offer to talk confidentially — without mentioning the student's LGBT status to the other educator, of course.
Just like everyone else, LGBT students want to feel accepted, understood, and supported. All students — LGBT or straight — benefit from positive relationships with their teachers. By taking the time to connect, showing a genuine interest, and supporting academic achievement and personal goals, educators can help students develop resilience. And creating an environment where everyone can be themselves goes a long way toward helping all your students succeed in school.
Reviewed by: D'Arcy Lyness, PhD
Date Reviewed: 14-07-2015