Stefanie Hassing, AU Graduate Student The importance of advocating for LGBT+ youth in schools and the community Stefanie Hassing, AU Graduate Student

What we will cover… LGBT+ adolescents unique population needs Advocacy Classroom School/Community Legislation relevant to this particular community and academic environments Community and Information Resources

LGBT+ Population Suicide Substance use Depression, anxiety and self-harm Bullying Safety Sexual risk-taking

Risk Factors Unsupportive home Unsupportive/hostile school environment Minority Stress: Increased prejudice, stigma, discrimination, denial of rights, abuse, harassment, victimization Lack of peer support Lack of resources NAMI, 2018

Protective Factors Accepting home environment Safe spaces (at school and in community) Peer support Being “out” versus “closeted” NAMI, 2018

Suicide LGBT+ youth are 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide (ODPHP, 2018) Between 38-65% of transgender youth experience suicidal ideation Lack of family support can increase that number significantly, up to 8 times more likely One of the leading causes of death for LGBT+ ages 10-24 (NAMI, 2018)

Substance use Higher rate of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use 20-30% of LGBT+ abuse substances, versus 9% of the general population GLSEN, 2015

Depression, anxiety & self-harm 3 times more likely to have a mental health diagnosis like major depression or anxiety disorder Isolation, unhealthy home or school environments, discrimination, fear and stress of coming out, minority stress (i.e. violation of rights, prejudice, abuse, harassment) Self-harm is 3-4 times more likely to occur in LGBT+ youth than their heterosexual peers Six times more likely to experience symptoms of depression NAMI, 2018; GLSEN, 2015

Bullying 85.2% of LGBT+ students report experiencing verbal harassment in the past school year 27% physically harassed (pushing) 13% physically assaulted LGBT+ are 2x more likely to report cyberbullying As of 2015, 48.6% of LGBT+ students report cyberbullying 59.6% experience sexual harassment 98% have heard derogatory terms and comments directed at them GLSEN, 2015; Wiederhold, 2014

Bullying continued 57.6% chose not to report to staff due to doubts of effective intervention 63.5% who did report noted no intervention and/or told the student to ignore it GLSEN, 2015; Wiederhold, 2014

Safety 57.6% of LGBT+ students have felt unsafe at school More likely to avoid school functions and extracurricular activities due to fear of safety 3 times more likely to have skipped school in the past month for fear of physical safety LGBT+ youth are more likely to be homeless GLSEN, 2015; ODPHP, 2018

Sexual Risk Taking Georgia sex education typically does not contain non-heterosexual specific information (Blanding & Sledge, 2017) Minority LGBT+ adolescents are higher risk of contracting STIs and HIV (Bridges, 2007) Transgender adolescents are more likely to have STIs and victimizations (ODPHP, 2018)

What level of education do you think LGBT+ students experience the highest frequencies of harassment? Middle School Also less likely to have access to resources: GSA (14.5% vs. 61.2% for high school) and supportive educators GLSEN, 2015

So what does this all mean for you? Research proves that 1) supportive school staff, 2) inclusive curriculum, 3) GSAs (and other student-led clubs) and 4) comprehensive and enumerated policies help to improve school climate, academic achievement and student well-being (GLSEN, 2015) Teachers are the first line. Kids spend more time at school than home in most circumstances Education Action & Change

Education Learn about gender identities Be informed! Examine your own personal beliefs Listen to each student’s story ASK QUESTIONS Find local resources Determine your particular school’s policies regarding LGBT+ students GLSEN, 2015

Action & Change Affirm complex identities—Just Ask and don’t make assumptions Respect confidentiality Gain additional training Suicide Safe Space Establish or back GSAs and other diversity clubs Create a Safe Space Challenge or discuss school policies Know when and where to get help Protect from harassment! GLSEN, 2015

Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) Reduces hostile school environment Reduction in skipping school More supportive school staff and accepting peers Less likely to experience victimization due to their sexual orientation or gender expression More connection to the community GSA Connect at http://georgiaequality.org/issues/safe-schools/ GLSEN GSA Support at https://www.glsen.org/participate/student-action/gsa Georgia Equality, 2017; GSA Network, 2018

Safe School Laws - Georgia Statewide anti-bullying law in schools Statewide anti-bullying regulation in schools based on sexual orientation (not gender identity) Law requiring school suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies Yearly training for suicide awareness/prevention for certified school personnel (AFSP, 2017; UDHHS, 2017)

Safe School Laws- South Carolina Statewide anti-bullying law in schools No regulations or requirements for protections specifically for sexual orientation or gender identity No unique policies or programs for suicide prevention, intervention and postvention mandated 2 hours of suicide awareness/prevention training every 5 years (AFSP, 2017; UDHHS, 2017)

Resources - Reports Human Rights Campaign National Coming Out Day Report https://www.hrc.org/youth-report/national-coming-out-day-report Human Rights Campaign Gender-Expansive Report https://www.hrc.org/youth-report/supporting-and-caring-for-our-gender- expansive-youth GLSEN 2015 National School Climate Survey at https://www.glsen.org/

Resources- LGBT+ Ally GLSEN Safe Space Kit FREE digital copy or $15 for hard copy https://www.glsen.org/safespace American Psychological Association Resources and information for educators and administrators http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/lgbt/default.aspx Advocates for youth Resources and lesson plans for implementing change and advocating for LGBT+ students http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/608?task=view

Resources- Suicide Prevention Trevor Project Suicide and crisis information specifically for LGBT+ youth Lifeguard Workshop, FREE online Free classroom and poster resources www.thetrevorproject.org It Gets Better Project https://itgetsbetter.org/

Resources – Suicide Prevention Semicolon Project Mental health education resource and suicide awareness & prevention http://projectsemicolon.com/ American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Regional conferences for LGBT+ Suicide Prevention education More than Sad training (FREE)/Model School Policy on Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/take-action/

Resources - Bullying www.Stopbullying.gov Resource center and educator guidelines in awareness and prevention of bullying Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration https://www.samhsa.gov/suicide-prevention/bullying Resource guide for bullying and suicide prevention related to bullying

Resources American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (2017). Suicide Statistics. Retrieved from https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide- statistics/ Blanding, B. & Sledge, A. (2017). The Requirements and limitations of sex education in Georgia. VOXATL. Retrieved from http://voxatl.com/sex-education-georgia/ Bridges, E (2007). The impact of homophobia and racism on GLBTQ youth of color. Retrieved from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/425?task=view Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2017). LGBT Youth. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm Georgia Equality (2017). Youth and Safe Schools. Retrieved from http://georgiaequality.org/issues/safe-schools/ GLSEN (2015). The 2015 National School Climate Survey. New York, NY: GLSEN. GSA Network (2018). Adults and Advisors. Retrieved from https://gsanetwork.org/resources/adults-and-advisors Human Rights Campaign (2012). Support and Caring for our Gender Expansive Youth. Washington, DC: HRC. Human Rights Campaign (2015). National Coming Out Day Report. Washington DC: HRC.

Resources Continued… NAMI (2018). LGBTQ. Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/lgbt Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2018). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics- objectives/topic/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2017). Georgia anti-bully laws and policies. Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/georgia/index.htm U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2017). South Carolina anti-bully laws and policies. Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/south-carolina/index.html Wiederhol, B. K. (2014). Cyberbullying and LGBTQ Youth: A deadly combination. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(9), 569-570.