1. LGBTQ Youth in Schools ACSSW Conference January 27, 2015 Elaine M. Maccio, Ph.D., LCSW Louisiana State University School of Social Work

2. Content What does LGBTQ mean? Why is this important? Who are LGBTQ youth in schools? What are some common problems among LGBTQ youth? What resources are available for LGBTQ youth? What can school social workers do?

3. What does LGBTQ mean? Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Q = queer and/or questioning Lesbian and gay (homosexual, same-sex oriented) Bisexual Transgender/Gender queer (vs. cisgender) –Transsexual –Androgynous

4. Why is this important? LGBTQ youth… comprise a substantial portion of the school population. have unique needs. have few resources to meet their needs. are disproportionately the targets of bullies.

5. Who are LGBTQ youth? Approximately 10% of youth in schools identify as LGB, less than 1% as T Adding in questioning youth increases these figures 20-40% of homeless and runaway youth identify as LGBTQ

6. What are the problems? LGBT youth are prone to substance use, high-risk sexual behaviors, depression, and suicide. “72.4% [of LGBT students] heard homophobic remarks…frequently or often at school” 2 “9 out of 10 LGBT [middle and high school] students experienced harassment at school in the past year” 2 2 Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

7. What are the problems? “19.9% reported being bullied at school in past 12 months; higher among females (21.2%) than males (18.7%)” 1 “84.6% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 40.1%...physically harassed and 18.8%...physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation” 2 7.7% were “threatened or injured with a weapon” at school in previous 12 months 1 1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2 Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network

8. What are the problems? “17.5% reported carrying a weapon (gun, knife or club) on one or more days in the 30 days preceding the survey” 1 29.1% of LGBT students missed a class at least once and 30.0% missed at least one day of school in the past month because of safety concerns, compared to only 8.0% and 6.7%, respectively, of a national sample of secondary school students. 2 1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2 Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network

9. What resources? LGBTQ youth groups GSAs PFLAG GLSEN NCTE LTA (LA) School social workers!

10. What can I do? Support Create a safe environment Facilitate a support group Start a GSA Establish a Safe Space program

11. What can I do? Education Educate faculty and staff on LGBTQ issues Develop lesson plans, activities, or other presentations for the student body

12. What can I do? Policy Introduce policies around appropriate and inappropriate language and behavior Introduce consequences of violating language/behavior policies Support the local, state, and federal legislation, such as the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Nondiscrimination Act