1. LGBT Students, Harassment, and The Law
M.Loza

2. Statistics
36.5 % of GLB youth grades 9-12 have attempted suicide. 20.5% of those attempts resulting in medical care
Gay and lesbian youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual young people.
84% of LGBT students report being verbally harassed (name calling, threats, etc.) because of their sexual orientation.
91.5% of LGBT students report hearing homophobic remarks, such as “faggot,” “dyke” or the expression “that’s so gay” frequently or often.

3. Statistics
44.7% of LGBT youth of color report being verbally harassed because of both their sexual orientation and race/ethnicity.
Students who experience frequent verbal harassment because of their sexual orientation are less likely than other students to plan to attend college. 13.4% of LGBT students who report verbal harassment do not intend to go to college, twice the figure of those LGBT students who report only rare or less frequent verbal harassment (6.7%).
82.9% of LGBT students report that faculty or staff never intervened or intervened only some of the time when present and homophobic remarks were made.

4. Statistics
80% of gay and bisexual youth report severe problems with cognitive, social, or emotional isolation.
50% of lesbian and gay youth report parental rejection because of their sexual orientation.
4 out of 5 students in school don’t know 1 supportive adult in their school environment.
64% report feeling UNSAFE at school

5. What The Law Says
Ed Code 220: No person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section of the Penal Code in any program or activity conducted by an educational institution that receives, or benefits from, state financial assistance or enrolls pupils who receive state student financial aid.

6. SB 48
The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act amends the education code to require schools to integrate factual information about social movements, current events and history of people with disabilities and LGBT people into existing social studies lessons. It also prevents the State Board of Education from adopting instructional materials that discriminate.

7. AB 537
Assembly Bill 537
Under the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 (AB 537) all California public schools have a duty to protect students from discrimination and/or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

8. AB 9: Seth’s Law
This bill requires school districts to include specific information in its policies/procedures regarding discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying. It also establishes complaint procedures and alternative discipline policies for pupils involved in this behavior. By July 1, 2012

9. What Can We Do
MODEL: Call students out on discriminatory remarks and write referrals if necessary
Include anti-bullying in the curriculum
Encourage students to REPORT incidents even if to the anonymous hotline at
Refer kids to GSA or the local PFLAG
Put personal political or religious beliefs aside to uphold the law, and make the campus a safe and distraction free environment where all can learn.