Sc h o o l Sa f e t y f o r St u d e n t S w i t h lGBt Pa r e n t S
students with LGBT parents?
Survey to answer these questions. The PSH did not ask students whether they had
LGBT parents; however, it did ask all students whether their schools were safe for
students whose parents are LGBT.
Sa f e Sc h o o l S re S e a r c h Br i e f 6
Finding 1: LGBT students are more likely
than heterosexual students to report con-
cerns about school safety for students with
LGBT parents.
LGBT students, a group that represents one-third (33%)
of the PSH survey respondents, are more likely than
heterosexual (or “straight”) students to report that their
schools are not safe for students with LGBT parents.
Figure 1 shows that 41% of LGBT students said that
their schools are unsafe for students with LGBT parents;
in contrast, 27% of heterosexual students said that their
schools are unsafe for students with LGBT parents. LGBT
students may be more sensitive to the experiences of
students with LGBT parents because they are more likely
to experience anti-LGBT harassment themselves.
Overall Finding:
Students with LGBT parents are not safe at school, according to most students.
One-third (32%) of over 2,400 7th-12th grade students in California disagree or strongly disagree that their
school is safe for students with LGBT parents. Based on the responses to the PSH survey, school safety is
clearly an important issue for students with LGBT parents.
Figure 1
SCHOOLS ARE UNSAFE FOR
50
40
30
20
10
0
% who say that school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents
40.8%
26.8%
■ LGBT students
■ Straight students
Finding 2: Five steps that schools can take to improve the climate for LGBT students also
improve the climate for students with LGBT parents.
Existing research shows that there are steps schools can take to improve school climates for LGBT students.
These include: (1) establish and publicize school policies that prohibit harassment based on sexual orienta-
tion and gender identity or expression, (2) train teachers to intervene in harassment, (3) support Gay-Straight
Alliances (GSA) or similar student clubs, (4) provide information about support related to sexual orientation
and gender identity, and (5) introduce curriculum that includes LGBT people and information about sexual
orientation and gender identity. Each of these steps is associated with greater school safety for LGBT youth
and lower rates of harassment. These five steps and their links to school safety for students with LGBT parents
are shown on the following pages.
Safe SchoolS ReSeaRch BRief School Safety for Students with LGBT Parents
STEP 1: Establish and publicize a school policy that specifically
prohibits harassment on the basis of actual or perceived sexual
orientation and gender, including gender identity, appearance,
and behavior.
that specifically prohibits harassment on the basis of actual or
perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,
one-third (34%) say that their school is unsafe for students with
LGBT parents. Yet when students report that they do have a
policy that specifically prohibit harassment on the basis of actual
or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, fewer stu-
dents (29%) describe an unsafe environment for students with
LGBT parents.
Figure 2 shows that this difference is particularly strong for LGBT
students. These results show that nearly half (46%) of LGBT stu-
dents who report no policies say that their schools are unsafe for
students with LGBT parents.
STEP 2: Train teachers and staff to stop anti-LGBT slurs and
harassment.
and harassment, students perceived a safer climate for students
with LGBT parents. 38% of all students say the environment is
unsafe when teachers do not intervene, compared to 27% when
teachers do intervene.
Figure 3 shows that this finding was especially strong for LGBT
students. Among students who said that their teachers did not
step in to stop harassment, nearly half (47%) of LGBT students
say that their schools are unsafe for students with LGBT par-
ents. One-third (34%) of LGBT students say that their schools
are unsafe for students with LGBT parents when they hear their
teachers stop harassment.
STEP 3: Support the establishment of a Gay-Straight Alliance or
similar student club
report unsafe school climates for students with LGBT parents.
In comparison, when students report no GSA, significantly
more -- 42% -- say that the school is unsafe for students with
LGBT parents.
Figure 4 shows that this finding is particularly true for LGBT
the school is unsafe for students with LGBT parents; when there
is a GSA, 39% of LGBT students say that the school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents.
Figure 2
CIES DO NOT
INCLUDE SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND
ARE REPORTED TO BE LESS SAFE.
50
40
30
20
10
0
Non-inclusive policy Inclusive policy
45.5%
35.4%
27.3%
26%
■ LGBT
students
■ Straight
students
50
40
30
20
10
0
Teachers don’t stop
harassment
Teachers stop
harassment
47.1%
33.7%
31.1%
24.6%
■ LGBT
students
■ Straight
students
Figure 3
TEACHERS DO NOT STEP IN TO STOP
HARASSMENT.
50
40
30
20
10
0
No GSA at school GSA at school
49.6%
39.1%
38.3%
24.2%
■ LGBT
students
■ Straight
students
Figure 4
% who say that school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents
% who say that school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents
% who say that school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents
Safe SchoolS ReSeaRch BRief School Safety for Students with LGBT Parents
STEP 4: Ensure that students know where to go for information
and support related to sexual orientation and gender identity
Among students who know where to get information about
LGBT issues, 28% report unsafe climates for students with LGBT
parents. In contrast, more students who do not know where
to go for information and support (40%) report unsafe school
environments for students with LGBT parents.
Figure 5 shows that this finding is pronounced for LGBT stu-
dents: when they do not know where to go for information and
support, nearly half (45%) of LGBT students feel the climate is
unsafe for students with LGBT parents.
STEP 5: Introduce curriculum that includes LGBT people and
information about sexual orientation and gender identity
-
cussed in the school curricula, all students believe the environ-
ment is safer for students with LGBT parents.
Figure 6 shows that this is particularly true for LGBT youth, who
report significantly safer environments for students with LGBT
parents when they learn about LGBT issues at school. Less than
one-third (31%) of LGBT youth who learned about LGBT issues
said that their schools were unsafe for students with LGBT par-
ents, compared to nearly half (48%) of LGBT youth who did not
learn about LGBT issues.
The cumulative effect
Students report that schools are safer for students with LGBT
parents when they report that multiple steps have been taken
by their schools to improve the climate.
Figure 7 shows that more than half of students who report zero
school safety steps say that their school is unsafe for students
with LGBT parents (56%). In contrast, less than one quarter
of students who report 4 or 5 of the school safety steps say
that their schools are unsafe for students with LGBT parents
(21%-24%).
50
40
30
20
10
0
Not aware of
information & support
Aware of
information & support
44.7%
36%
34.1%
23.6%
■ LGBT
students
■ Straight
students
Figure 5
-
FOR INFORMATION OR SUPPORT.
50
40
30
20
10
0
Non-inclusive curriculum inclusive curriculum
47.5%
30.5%
31.3%
23.4%
■ LGBT
students
■ Straight
students
Figure 6
-
CURRICULUM.
Figure 7
MULTIPLE SCHOOL SAFETY STEPS IN PLACE
AT THE SCHOOL.
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Total number of school safety steps
reported by students
56%
0 1 2 3 4 5
41%
43%
32%
21%
24%
% who say that school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents
% who say that school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents
% who say that school is unsafe for
students with LGBT parents
Safe SchoolS ReSeaRch BRief School Safety for Students with LGBT Parents
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. The survey was designed
to study the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning high school students in
California and the steps schools can take to make schools safer. The PSH survey was developed by the California
Safe Schools Coalition and administered by Gay-Straight Alliance Network. Data from more than 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.
Thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their contributions: Meredith Fenton, COLAGE; Aimee
Fisher, Our Family Coalition; Arielle Rosen, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.
This brief is based on the following research:
Russell, S. T., McGuire, J. K., Lee, S-A., Larriva, J. C., & Laub, C. (2008). Adolescent perceptions of school
safety for students with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Issues in
Education, 5, 11-27.
Suggested citation:
Russell, S. T., McGuire, J. K., Larriva, J., Laub, C., Manke, E., & Rosen, A. (2009). School Safety for Students
with LGBT Parents. (California Safe Schools Coalition Research Brief No. 6). San Francisco, CA: California Safe
Schools Coalition.
Parents:
• Request that the school curriculum include attention to LGBT families, people and information,
as well as other types of family diversity
• Volunteer in parent activities at your child’s school; get to know the teachers and administrators
• Ask that school policies and procedures be inclusive of all families
Teachers and school site staff:
• Include attention to LGBT families, people and information in the curriculum
• Don’t assume that the parents of your students are heterosexual; use inclusive, non-gender spe-
cific language to show that you understand that some students may have LGBT parents
• Intervene when you hear anti-LGBT harassment or slurs, or harassment about LGBT families.
Local school officials and administrators:
• Assure that school policies and procedures are inclusive of LGBT families
• Support inclusion of LGBT families, people and information in the curriculum
• Encourage LGBT parents to participate in the activities of the school
• Refer to the California Safe Schools Coalition’s All Families Welcome brochure; request copies for
your school
Recommendations
