3!&%3#(//,32%3%!2#("2)%&
5.$%234!.$).'3#(//,3!&%49!.$
4(%).4%23%#4)/.3/&2!#%
%4(.)#)49!.$3%85!,/2)%.4!4)/.
Harassment at school based on a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or a person’s racial
or ethnic identity is too common. Previous studies have found that such harassment is strongly
linked to negative health outcomes and lower academic achievement. However, there are very
few studies that examine the intersections of harassment based on race and sexual orientation. In
this report we use data from the Preventing School Harassment (PSH) Survey to understand bias-
motivated harassment and school safety for students of color and students who are lesbian, gay,
bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). The results show that harassment and bullying of both kinds are
vÌiÊiÝ«iÀiVi`ÊLÞÊÃÌÕ`iÌÃÊvÊVÀÊ>`ÊLÞÊ/ÊÃÌÕ`iÌÃÆÊÌÃiÊÜÊiÝ«iÀiViÊLÌÊ`ÃÊvÊ
harassment are particularly at risk.
Background
A national study of high school students from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
(GLSEN) found that there are significant differences in reports of harassment at school for
students from different racial groups (Kosciw, Diaz, & Greytak, 2008). Multiracial students
reported the highest levels of victimization at school related to their racial identity, while white
students reported the lowest levels. In addition, African-American or Black students reported
lower levels of victimization related to their sexual orientation than other students.
We used data from the PSH Survey to study the link between school safety and harassment
based on racial identity and harassment based on sexual orientation for students in California.
We examined differences based on racial identity and sexual orientation, and examined the
intersections of race and LGBT identity.
First, to provide background about the racial and LGBT make-up of the study, Figure 1 shows the
racial and ethnic make-up of the students who participated in the PSH survey – for LGBT students,
and for heterosexual or “straight” students. Overall, the PSH survey included students from racial
/ ethnic groups roughly in proportion to their representation in the state of California, with
the exception that Latino students were under-represented in the survey (the survey was only
available in English, which may partially account for the relatively low rate of participation among
Latino students). Among participants in the study, there were similar proportions of LGBT and
straight students among White, Black, Latino, Multiracial students, and students who declined to
state their race. However, there were comparatively lower percentages of LGBT students among
Asians (7% of LGBT students were Asian, where as 19% of straight students were Asian).
LGBT Students Heterosexual Students
White Latino/a Asian Black Multiracial
The racial composition of the PSH participants shows that Whites and Latinos comprise the majority (over
50%) of the sample among both LGBT and straight students. Multiracial, Asian, and Black students make
up about one quarter of the LGBT participants and slightly over one-third of the straight students.
Finding 1: There are strong racial and ethnic group differences in reports of bias-
motivated harassment at school for all students.
Participants in the survey reported frequent bias-motivated bullying or harassment. Students were asked if
they experienced bullying that was “because of your race, ethnicity, or national origin.” Nearly one quarter
(24%) of Asian students experienced racial harassment (the highest among racial groups), while 22% of
Latino and 22% of multiracial students reported harassment due to racial identity. Sixteen percent of White
and 13% of Black students reported harassment based on race.
The most frequent bias-motivated harassment in the PSH survey was “…because you are gay, lesbian, or
bisexual or someone thought you were.” One-third of White students reported sexual orientation-based
bullying (the highest among racial groups) followed by Latinos (30%), multiracial (28%), Black (21%), and
Asian (14%) students. It is noteworthy that sexual orientation-based harassment was reported more often
than race-based harassment for all groups – except Asians, who reported the most racial harassment, and
the least sexual orientation-related harassment.
Finding 2: LGBT students experience bullying due to their sexual orientation the most,
but they also experience other forms of bias-motivated harassment.
We focused next on those students who identified as LGBT. Among LGBT students, nearly one quarter
Ó{¯®ÊvÊÌÃiÊÜÊÜiÀiÊ>VÊÀÊ>ÌÊÀi«ÀÌi`Ê>À>ÃÃiÌÊL>Ãi`ÊÊÀ>ViÆÊΣ¯ÊvÊÃ>Ê/ÊÃÌÕ`iÌÃÊ
reported harassment based on race, while 20% of Multiracial and 18% of White LGBT students reported
race-based harassment.
3!&%3#(//,32%3%!2#("2)%&5NDERSTANDING3CHOOL3AFETYANDTHE)NTERSECTIONSOF2ACE%THNICITYAND3EXUAL/RIENTATION
Figure 1
RACIAL / ETHNIC IDENTITIES AMONG PSH SURVEY PARTICIPANTS
Figure 2
RACIAL / ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES IN BIAS-MOTIVATED HARASSMENT
16%
14%
3% 3%
4%
23%
34%
30%
14%
21%
28%
21%
7%
19%
44%
16%
22%
24%
13%
22%
50
40
30
20
10
0
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
37%
6%
! White
! Latino/s
! Asian
! Black
! Multiracial
! Declined to state
! Bullied based on race
! Bullied based on sexual
orientation
White Latino/a Asian Black Multiracial
Finding 3: There is significant overlap in race-based and sexual orientation-based
harassment. Among students who were bullied, nearly one-third experience both
types of harassment; this group reported the lowest feelings of safety at school.
Over one-third (38%) of the students who participated in the survey reported some form of bias-motivated
harassment or bullying. Figure 4 shows that among those who were harassed, 19% reported harassment
based on sexual orientation only, 10% reported race-based harassment only, and 9% reported that they
were bullied because of both race and sexual orientation.
Figure 5 shows that students who are bullied because of both race and sexual orientation were more likely
to feel unsafe than students who are bullied because of only race or only sexual orientation. Among the
students who were harassed for both race and sexual orientation, 27% disagreed or strongly disagreed that
they felt safe, compared to 20% of those who were harassed just for racial identity, and 23% who were
harassed just for sexual orientation. Only 6% of students who were not harassed at all reported feeling
unsafe at school.
The majority of LGBT youth report bullying based on their sexual orientation. In fact, two-thirds (66%) of
7ÌiÊ/ÊÃÌÕ`iÌÃÊÀi«ÀÌi`ÊLÕÞ}Ê`ÕiÊÌÊ/Ê`iÌÌÞÆÊÈä¯ÊvÊ>Ì]Êxx¯ÊvÊ>V]ÊxȯÊvÊÕÌÀ>V>]Ê
and 40% of Asian LGBT students reported sexual orientation-based bullying. Although racial bullying was
lower compared to LGBT bullying among LGBT students, rates were similar to racial bullying for the full
sample: overall, 1 in 5 LGBT students reporting being bullied due to race, ethnicity, or national origin.
3!&%3#(//,32%3%!2#("2)%&5NDERSTANDING3CHOOL3AFETYANDTHE)NTERSECTIONSOF2ACE%THNICITYAND3EXUAL/RIENTATION
Figure 3
RACIAL / ETHNIC GROUP DIFFERENCES IN BIAS-MOTIVATED HARASSMENT AMONG LGBT STUDENTS
Figure 4
PERCENT OF STUDENTS HARASSED BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND RACE
Figure 5
PERCENT OF STUDENTS WHO FELT UNSAFE AT SCHOOL BY HARASSMENT EXPERIENCE
66%
60%
40%
55%
18%
24%
31%
24%
20%
20%
56%
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
! No harassment
! Only sexual orientation harassment
! Only racial harassment
! Both racial and sexual orientation harassment
Both racial and sexual orientation harassment
Only racial harassment
Only sexual orientation harassment
No harassment
! Bullied based on race
! Bullied based on sexual
orientation
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
27%
9%
10%
19%
62%
23%
6%
3!&%3#(//,32%3%!2#("2)%&5NDERSTANDING3CHOOL3AFETYANDTHE)NTERSECTIONSOF2ACE%THNICITYAND3EXUAL/RIENTATION
#ALIFORNIA3AFE3CHOOLS#OALITION"RYANT3TREET3UITE3AN&RANCISCO#!WWWCASAFESCHOOLSORG
ABOUT THE RESEARCH
Data are from the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Preventing School Harassment (PSH) survey. The PSH survey was designed to study
the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning high school students and their straight allies,
and the steps schools can take to make schools safer. The PSH survey was developed by the California Safe Schools Coalition,
and administered by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network. Data from over 2,400 students were collected in schools and on the
internet.
References:
Kosciw, J. G., Diaz, E. M., & Greytak, E. A. (2008). 2007 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.
Suggested Citation:
Russell, S. T., Clarke, T. J., & Laub, C. (2009). Understanding School Safety and the Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Sexual
Orientation. (California Safe Schools Coalition Research Brief No. 10). San Francisco, CA: California Safe Schools Coalition.
UÊÊ-«i>ÊÕÌÊÜiÊÞÕÊi>ÀÊÃÕÀÃÊÀÊi}>ÌÛiÊViÌÃÊÀi>Ìi`ÊÌÊÀ>Vi]ÊiÌVÌÞ]Ê}i`iÀ]ÊÃiÝÕ>Ê
orientation, and gender nonconformity.
UÊÊ`ÊÕÌÊvÊÞÕÀÊÃVÊ>À>ÃÃiÌÊ«VÞÊëiVvV>ÞÊ«ÀLÌÃÊ>À>ÃÃiÌÊL>Ãi`ÊÊÀ>Vi]Ê
ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression and advocate for changing
the policy if it doesn’t.
UÊÊ`ÊÕÌÊÜÊÌÊ>iÊ>ÊV«>ÌÊÜiÊL>ÃÌÛ>Ìi`Ê>À>ÃÃiÌÊVVÕÀðÊ9ÕÊV>Ê>iÊ>Ê
complaint about harassment even if you aren’t the target of it.
UÊÊ-«i>ÊÕÌÊÊÃÕ««ÀÌÊvÊ>VÌÃÊÃVÊ`ÃÌÀVÌÃÊ>`ÊÃVÃÊV>ÊÌ>i\Ê
1. publicizing and enforcing anti-harassment policies,
2. providing resources, information, and support to students
3. training teachers and other staff about the multiple forms of bullying and how to
intervene in harassment,
4. measuring and monitoring bias-related harassment in their local school district, and
5. including people of color and LGBT people, and information about race, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, and gender identity in the curriculum.
UÊÃVÕÃÃÊÌiÊÌiÀÃiVÌÃÊvÊÀ>VÃÊ>`Ê«L>ÊÜÌÊÃÌÕ`iÌÃ]Ê«>ÀiÌÃ]Ê>`ÊVi>}Õið
UÊÊÌiÀÛiiÊvÊÞÕÊi>ÀÊL>ÃÀi>Ìi`ÊViÌÃÊ>`ÊÃÕÀÃÊvÊ>ÞÊ`°Ê1ÃiÊi>VÊViÌÊ>ÃÊ>Ê
opportunity to provide education and reaffirm school policy.
UÊÊ,iµÕiÃÌÊÌÀ>}ÊÊ«ÀiÛiÌ}Ê>À>ÃÃiÌÊ>`Ê`ÃVÀ>Ì]ÊVÕ`}ÊL>ÃÌÛ>Ìi`Ê
harassment due to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender
nonconformity.
UÊÃÊÌÊi«Ê«ÕLVâiÊÃVÊ«ViÃÊÊ>À>ÃÃiÌ°
UÊÊ-iÌÊÌiÊV>ÌiÊÊÞÕÀÊV>ÃÃÀÃÊi>ÀÞÊ>`Ê>ÃÊvÌiÊ>ÃÊiViÃÃ>ÀÞÆÊiÌÊÃÌÕ`iÌÃÊÜÊÌ>ÌÊL>Ã
related harassment and slurs are not acceptable.
UÊ/Ài>ÌÊ>ÊvÀÃÊvÊL>ÃÀi>Ìi`Ê>À>ÃÃiÌÊ>`ÊÃÕÀÃÊ>ÃÊÃiÀÕÃÊ>`Ê«ÀiÛiÌ>Li°
UÊÊ`ÊÕÌÊ>LÕÌÊVÕÌÞÊÀiÃÕÀViÃÊ>`ÊvÀ>ÌÊÀi>Ìi`ÊÌÊÃiÝÕ>ÊÀiÌ>Ì]Ê}i`iÀÊ
identity and expression.
UÊÊÌi}À>ÌiÊÀi«ÀiÃiÌ>ÌÃÊvÊ«i«iÊvÊVÀ]Ê/Ê«i«i]Ê>`Ê/Ê«i«iÊvÊVÀÊÌÊ
existing curricula.
2ECOMMENDATIONSFORSTUDENTS
2ECOMMENDATIONSFORTEACHERSANDADMINISTRATORS