Challenging homophobia in schools: policies and programs for safe school climates

Stephen T. Russell

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Gender, Sexuality, and Education LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression

Abstract

In the United States there has been growing public and scientific attention to homophobia in schools. A well-established body of research documents persistent and pervasive bullying, harassment and lack of safety at schools towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. This work makes clear that contemporary school and youth cultures are characterized by rigid gender and sexuality norms (including homophobia and expectations regarding masculinity, femininity, and heterosexuality); the well-being of students who do not conform to or who challenge these norms is often undermined. In recent years there has been a shift from consideration of the plight of individual students to the acknowledgement that the school context or climate must be better understood in order to prevent bias-motivated bullying and promote school safety and student well-being. During the last decade a number of studies have identified specific education policies, programs, and practices that promote safe school climates. In this article I review what is known about policies and programs that promote safety for LGBT as well as heterosexual students in schools. A growing body of work indicates that the following strategies are associated with safer school climates for LGBT students: enumerated school nondiscrimination and anti-bullying policies; teacher intervention when harassment takes place; availability of information and support about LGBT concerns for students; the presence of school-based support groups or clubs (often called "gay-straight alliances"); and curricular inclusion of LGBT people and issues. In the context of this research, I discuss several key issues for consideration by educators, policy-makers, and scholars.

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References

2003Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence.1995Minority Stress and Mental Health in Gay Men 2008Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults 2003Adolescent resilience: a concept analysis 2002Effects of at-school victimization and sexual orientation on lesbian, gay, or bisexual youths’ health risk behavior 2006School support groups, other school factors, and the safety of sexual minority adolescents 2009Youth Empowerment and High School Gay-Straight Alliances 2001School outcomes of sexual minority youth in the United States: evidence from a national study

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2012Stigmatization associated with growing up in a lesbian-parented family: What do adolescents experience and how do they deal with it?2015Beyond the Dialectics and Polemics: Canadian Catholic Schools Addressing LGBT Youth Issues 2018Discriminación y violencia homofóbica en el sistema escolar: estrategias de prevención, manejo y combate 2015Claves para atender a la diversidad afectivo sexual en el contexto educativo desde un enfoque global escolar = Keys to dealing with sexual-emotional diversity in the educational context from a whole school approach

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