The Safety of LGBTQ+ Students Needs to be a Priority, and it Needs to Happen Now
The Safety of LGBTQ+ Students Needs to be a Priority, and it Needs to Happen Now.
By Daniela Pena. November 1st, 2022.
The Harsh Reality
Every 45 seconds, at least one LGBTQ youth attempts to take their life. This may be due to the burden of not being 'normal'; not having a healthy support system; harassment both online and in schools, or perhaps a combination of these. Nearly 2 million LGBTQ+ youth have seriously considered ending their lives in a single year (The Trevor Project).
See, the concept of 'normal' has been engraved into our minds since childhood. From Disney movies like Tangled to our parents telling us to grow up, get married, and have many children. Heterosexuality has become the norm in our society, and it is harming teens in different ways.
As teens spend the majority of their time in schools, it is crucial for schools to create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students.
Healthy Support Systems are Important
One of the main contributors to high suicide rates within the LGBTQ+ community is a lack of acceptance. According to The Trevor Project, "Many LGBTQ youths lack affirming spaces, with only 55% reporting that their school is LGBTQ-affirming." From a young age, students are taught to confide within school walls and to view the schools as safe spaces. This, however, only applies to heterosexual teens as LGBTQ+ teens are often unwelcome in school environments.
Additionally, the same article states, "LGBTQ young people report lower rates of attempting suicide when they access LGBTQ-affirming spaces." It is clear how important it is for schools to welcome all students to allow them to blossom into their best selves.
LBGTQ+ Ignorance Affects Student's Health
We all know the school system is failing queer youth. The sex-ed curriculum mainly focuses on heterosexual relationships and completely avoids discussing any preventative or safe education for LGBTQ+ students. As a result, these students are uninformed and feel excluded.
Furthermore, hetero-focused curriculums are extremely harmful to non-straight youth as it encourages discrimination toward these individuals. For instance, the article LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Education Means healthier Youths and Safer Schools states, "Educators are instructed to call being gay 'unnatural' and to tell students that people with HIV and AIDs are 'suffering' for the 'choices' they made to be gay" (Slater). The current sex-ed curriculum fails to both educate and protect queer students by creating this false narrative.
Establishing an LGBTQ+-friendly curriculum will allow all students to feel safe within a school environment as well as within sexual relationships.
"We're protecting kids and helping kids protect themselves" - Valbrun-Pope.
LGBTQ+ Students are Victims of the Bystander Effect
The bystander effect occurs when someone believes another person will help someone in need instead of taking action themselves. This occurs often in school settings: Intervention in violent situations is often unlikely for many reasons: students might feel like it isn't their responsibility and that a teacher will handle it.
Some students, however, often intervene when they spot interpersonal violence.
The Society for Prevention Research studied the rates of bystanders in relation to interpersonal violence and sexual orientation in high school students. The study found that intervention programs greatly benefitted heterosexual students, while homosexual victims had no one standing up for them in their case of violence.
The study suggests urgent programs to better target homosexual high school students, specifically older LGBTQ+ students.
This is another way schools create hostile environments for LGBTQ+ students, therefore increasing the risk of suicide in these individuals. Schools need to provide the necessary programs for both the majority and minority and reinforce the safety and equity of both groups.
The opposition
Zhenya Svetski holding up a pride flag with the words "I'm Not 'Gay Propaganda'". Moscow December 2018.Many argue that 'exposing' LGBTQ ideas to heterosexual students will encourage them to become gay. These same individuals believe homosexuality is a choice, and any exposure to it will cloud the minds of any 'normal' student.
However, this is far from the truth. In terms of numbers, heterosexuality has become the norm but should not be referred to as such. The idea of what is 'normal' or 'isn't normal' has only caused harm to LGBTQ+ teens. Individuals are free to be their authentic selves without feeling like outcasts. Furthermore, homosexuality is not a choice, and exposure to it will not turn children gay.
Don't believe me? Ask any queer individual if they would choose to be queer knowing the prejudice LGBTQ+ kids face. Of course not, no one will willingly choose to be gay knowing the struggle that comes with it. Queer kids don't choose to be gay, instead, they are born this way, as Lady Gaga once sang.
Having an LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum will not harm heterosexual students in any way. It can instead allow them to become more open-minded and empathetic to other groups of people.
So...
Clearly, LGBTQ+ students are being failed by schools in various ways. Queer students are unwelcome, un-informed, and oftentimes ignored. This has resulted in skyrocketing suicide rates in this minority group.
The school system is excluding teens from the sex-ed curriculum, while simultaneously making them out to be the bad ones for 'choosing' to be gay. Additionally, the number of bystanders is growing when it comes to intervening with sexual minority violence. Due to these factors, schools are not safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, minimizing these students' healthy support systems.
The LGBTQ+ community has dealt with horrific hardships for decades, and it is time to put an end to it. In order to make a difference, schools need to acknowledge queer students and begin educating students from a young age.
So if you believe your school isn't an LGBTQ+ affirming space, speak up about it. Use your voice to bring light into a problem thousands of students deal with every day, and to help LGBTQ+ youth feel at least a little more welcome. You never know whose life you might just end up saving.
Want to know someone's personal experience with this topic? Check out this link: The Progressive Magazine
Tagged: LGBTQ+, Schools, Teen Suicide, LGBTQ+ Rights, School Curriculum
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