Sa f e Sc h o o l S Re S e a R c h BR i e f 13

Un d e R S t a n d i n g Sc h o o l Sa f e t y f o R tR a n S g e n d e R St U d e n t S

Research shows that transgender students often face unsafe school environments to a

greater extent even than their lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) peers. The fifth National

School Climate Survey, supported by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

(GLSEN), found that nearly all transgender students experienced verbal harassment

at school because of their sexual orientation and gender expression, more than half

experienced physical harassment because of their sexual orientation and gender

expression, and more than a quarter experienced physical assault because of their

sexual orientation and gender expression. These levels of victimization were higher

than those faced by the non-transgender lesbian, gay, and bisexual students who

participated in the survey (Greytak, Kosciw, & Diaz, 2009). Only 24% of transgender

students said they were aware of their school’s anti-harassment policy and that it

included specific protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender

expression (Greytak, Kosciw, & Diaz, 2009). In this research brief we report on prior

studies and present new data about school safety for transgender students.

Transgender: Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender

expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth or the stereotypes associated

with that sex. The term may include transsexuals and others who do not conform to gender

stereotypes (Transgender Law Center, 2009).

Gender non-conforming/Gender variant: Refers to individuals whose behaviors and/or interests

fall outside what is considered normal for their assigned birth gender (The Transgender Child,

2008).

Documenting the Problem

Previous research shows that harassment of students based on gender non-conformity is pervasive. The

California Safe Schools Coalition Research Brief 12 showed that students who identify as transgender

reported the most harassment at school – including repeated harassment (see Figure 1 from that

report). Further, that report showed that many students – especially transgender students – reported

that they “sometimes” or “often” hear students make negative comments based on gender non-

conformity. And transgender students were more likely to say that they had heard teachers or staff

make negative comments as well. In fact, a transgender student was more likely to have heard a teacher

or staff member make a negative comment than to have heard a teacher stop another student from

making negative comments.

The Assessment of Resources and Needs for Transgender Adolescents Study (McGuire, Russell, &

Anderson, 2007) included focus group interviews with transgender adolescents who participated

in programs for transgender youth through community-based organizations in several Western

states. Among these youth, reports of physical violence were common: transgender and gender non-

conforming youth were described as being “pushed around,” “getting the crap beat out of them,” and

“getting their asses kicked” by other students. Verbal harassment, teasing, and peer rejection were also

common.

Steps schools can take to improve climates for transgender youth

Prior research has shown that there are concrete steps that schools can take to promote safety for LGBT

students (for example, see California Safe Schools Research Brief 3). In the findings on the following

pages, we examined these school strategies, focusing specifically on transgender youth from the

Preventing School Harassment study.

Step 2: Train teachers and staff to intervene when they hear slurs or negative comments based on gender

non-conformity.

Transgender students reported feeling safer when teachers would intervene to stop negative comments based

on gender identity or expression. Figure 2 shows that when transgender students said that teachers intervened,

67% said they felt safe, compared to 44% who felt safe when teachers did not intervene.

Step 3: Ensure that students know where to go for information and support about gender identity and

expression.

For transgender students, having information and support about LGBT issues appears to be one of the most

important school safety steps. When transgender students knew where to get information and support about

sexual orientation and gender identity, they reported more school safety and less bullying than students who

did not have access to the same resources. Figure 3 shows that nearly 9 out of 10 (86%) of the transgender

students who did not know where to go for information and support also said that they were bullied one or

Safe SchoolS ReSeaRch BRief Understanding School Safety for Transgender Students

I feel safe at school

■ Teacher

intervention

■ No teacher

intervention

Figure 2

TRANSGENDER STUDENTS FEEL

SAFER AT SCHOOL WHEN TEACHERS

INTERVENE TO STOP NEGATIVE

COMMENTS BASED ON GENDER

IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION.

I have been bullied one or

more times based on gender

presentation

My school is safe for guys

who aren't as masculine as

other guys (pretty much or

very much true)

My school is safe for girls

who aren't as feminine as

other girls (pretty much or

very much true)

■ School has

a policy

■ School doesn't

have a policy

Figure 1

SCHOOL ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY INCLUDES GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION

Step 1: Establish and publicize a school policy that specifically prohibits harassment on the basis of actual and

perceived gender, including gender identity, appearance, and behavior.

Figure 1 shows that transgender students report high rates of being bullied – regardless of whether or not

they attended a school with an inclusive policy that included gender identity and expression. However,

transgender students who attended schools that had inclusive anti-harassment policies reported that the school

environment was safer for gender non-conforming boys: transgender students were nearly twice as likely to

say that school was safe for “guys who are not as masculine as other guys” in schools that had inclusive policies

(61%) compared to those in schools without inclusive policies (only 36% said that school was safe).

It is important to note that all schools in California are required to have inclusive anti-harassment policies. Thus,

even though schools may be required to have policies, not all do. Moreover, while school districts are required

to prohibit discrimination based on gender, their policies may not always clarify that under California law,

gender includes “gender identity and gender-related appearance and behavior.” Thus, a transgender student

may not realize that they are protected from discrimination and harassment under their district’s policy. The

important finding is that if a student knows about or believes that there is a policy, she or he is more likely to

feel safe.

58% 58%

65%

61%

36%

56%

67%

44%

Safe SchoolS ReSeaRch BRief Understanding School Safety for Transgender Students

Step 5: Support the establishment of a Gay-Straight Alliance or similar student club.

Most of the transgender students who were surveyed reported belonging to a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)

club, therefore the experiences of transgender students without GSA clubs cannot be documented. However,

the role of GSAs in promoting school safety has been documented elsewhere. Participants in the Assessment

of Resources and Needs for Transgender Adolescents Study reported that the presence of GSAs at schools

improved school climates. Some participants who went to schools that did not have GSAs actively wished that

there had been a GSA when they were in school.

School safety strategies and supportive adults: Connections to adults at school are particularly important for

transgender students.

For transgender students, connection to an adult can make the difference between feeling safe and unsafe at

school. In additional analyses of the PSH survey data, we found that transgender students who reported more

of the school safety strategies outlined above (ranging from none to all five) reported stronger connections to

adults at school. In turn, feeling connected to an adult at school was strongly linked with feeling safe. Thus, for

transgender students, the steps to create a safer school are strongly tied to quality relationships with adults at

school, and it is these supportive relationships that make a difference for school safety.

The focus group participants eloquently explained the value of connections to adults in describing the actions

of principals, teachers, and nurses who offered refuge and safe spaces in the form of access to single-stall

bathrooms, privacy about students’ legal names, accommodations for gym locker rooms, and advising on other

academic matters. These sorts of supports are especially important for transgender youth who face considerable

safety concerns if forced into vulnerable situations.

I have been bullied one

or more times based on

gender presentation

I feel safe at school

■ Learned

about LGBT

in curricula

■ Did not learn

about LGBT

in curricula

Figure 4

LEARNING ABOUT LGBT ISSUES IN THE CURRICULUM IMPROVES

THE SCHOOL CLIMATE FOR TRANSGENDER STUDENTS

I have been bullied one

or more times based on

gender presentation

My school is safe for guys

who aren't as masculine

as other guys (pretty

much or very much true)

My school is safe for girls

who aren't as feminine as

other girls (pretty much

or very much true)

I feel safe at school

Figure 3

HAVING INFORMATION AND SUPPORT ABOUT LGBT ISSUES IMPROVES THE SCHOOL CLIMATE FOR TRANSGENDER STUDENTS

■ Know where to

get information

■ Don't know

where to get

information

Step 4: Introduce curriculum that includes LGBT

people and information about sexual orientation

and gender identity.

The survey included a question about whether

students had learned about LGBT people, history, or

had received information about sexual orientation

and gender identity in class at school. Figure 4

shows that transgender students who learned

about LGBT issues in the curriculum reported

feeling safer than transgender students who did

not learn about LGBT issues in the curriculum.

Transgender students who had learned about

LGBT issues at school were less likely to report

having been bullied than those who had not

learned about LGBT issues.

more times; by comparison, only half (52%) who had information and support reported being bullied one or

more times. Over half of transgender students who knew where to get information agreed that their school was

safe for gender non-conforming students, and that they themselves felt safe, compared with about one third of

students who did not know where to get information.

52%

86%

58%

27%

67%

41%

50%

71%

61%

43%

55%

36%

Safe SchoolS ReSeaRch BRief Understanding School Safety for Transgender Students

California Safe Schools Coalition • 1550 Bryant Street, Suite 800 • San Francisco, CA 94103 • www.casafeschools.org

ABOUT THE RESEARCH

Data are from the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Preventing School Harassment (PSH) survey, and focus groups with transgender youth in Western

states. 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. Students were asked about their experiences of safety at school and about the steps schools can take to make schools safer. A

total of 68 students who participated in the survey identified as transgender.

The Assessment of Resources and Needs for Transgender Adolescents Study (McGuire, Russell, & Anderson, 2009) included focus group

interviews with transgender adolescents who participated in programs for transgender youth through community-based organizations in

several Western states. The study included 36 youth, ages 12-23, at 4 community organizations.

References:

Brill, Stephanie & Pepper, Rachel (2008) The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals, San Francisco, Cleis Press, Inc.

Greytak, E. A., Kosciw, J. G., & Diaz, E. M. (2009). Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation’s Schools. New York:

GLSEN.

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.

McGuire, J. K., Russell, S. T., Anderson, C. (2007). Assessment of Resources and Needs for Transgender Identified Adolescents within the

Context of Sexual Minority Focused Community Centers. Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues: Internship Award Report.

Suggested citation:

McGuire, J. K., Clarke, T. J., Anderson, C. R., & Russell, S. T. (2010). Understanding School Safety for Transgender Youth. (California Safe

Schools Coalition Research Brief No. 13). San Francisco, CA: California Safe Schools Coalition.

• Speak out when you hear slurs or negative comments related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation,

and gender non-conformity.

• Find out if your school harassment policy covers harassment based on gender (including gender identity and

gender-related appearance, and behavior or “gender identity and expression”) and advocate for changing

the policy if it doesn’t.

• Find out how to make a complaint when bias-motivated harassment towards a transgender or gender non-

conforming individual occurs. You can make a complaint about harassment even if you aren’t the target of

it.

• Speak out in support of actions school districts and schools can take:

• publicizing and enforcing anti-harassment policies,

• providing resources, information, and support to students,

• training teachers and other staff about bullying based on gender identity and gender non-conformity and

how to intervene in harassment,

• measuring and monitoring bias-related harassment in their local school district, and

• including LGBT people and information about sexual orientation and gender identity in the curriculum.

Recommendations for students

• Work with your school district to adopt the model policy regarding transgender and gender non-conforming

youth published by the California Safe Schools Coalition on its website.

• Request training on preventing harassment and discrimination, including bias-motivated harassment due to

gender identity and gender non-conformity. Ask to help publicize school policies on prohibiting harassment

based on gender identity and gender-related appearance and behavior.

• Identify and recognize the unique needs of transgender youth. Make special efforts with the transgender

and gender non-conforming youth at your school to ensure that their unique safety needs are met.

• Intervene if you hear biased comments and slurs related to gender non-conformity. Use each comment as an

opportunity to provide education and reaffirm school policy.

• Learn about and provide resources about gender identity and expression that are specific to transgender

youth needs and experiences.

• Set the climate in classrooms early and as often as necessary; let students know that bias-related harassment

and slurs towards transgender and gender non-conforming students are not acceptable.

• Treat all forms of bias-related harassment and slurs as serious and preventable.

Recommendations for teachers and administrators