Gay‐Straight Alliances, Inclusive Policy, and School Climate:LGBTQYouths’ Experiences of Social Support and Bullying

Abstract

Gay‐Straight Alliances (GSA) and school policies focused on support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning youth may reduce bias‐based bullying and enhance social supports in schools. Using multivariate regression, we tested the relationship between youth reports of the presence of GSAs and LGBTQ‐focused policies, independently and mutually, with experiences bullying and perceived support (n = 1,061). Youth reported higher classmate support in the presence of GSAs and higher teacher support in the presence of LGBTQ‐focused policies; the presence of both GSAs and LGBTQ‐focused policies was associated with less bullying and higher perceived classmate and teacher support. The findings indicate that GSAs and LGBTQ‐focused policies are distinctly and mutually important for fostering safer and more supportive school climates for youth.

“The Worst Part Was Coming Back Home and Feeling Like Crying”: Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Students in Portuguese Schools

“…However, research also shows that LGBT youth fare better (e.g., feel safer, hear fewer homophobic remarks, have more academic success) in schools with programs that address their needs and concerns (e.g., Gay-Straight Alliances) (Russell et al, 2009;Poteat et al, 2013;Toomey and Russell, 2013;Ioverno et al, 2016;Marx and Kettrey, 2016;Day et al, 2019) and with teachers and classmates who are supportive (Kosciw et al, 2013(Kosciw et al, , 2014.…”

“…In this regard, literature has already shown that merely having antidiscrimination policies does not confer significant protection to LGBT youths (Chesir-Teran and Hughes, 2009). What seems to make a difference are classroom discussions, books in the school library that address sexual and gender diversity (Goodenow et al, 2006;Chesir-Teran and Hughes, 2009), support from teachers and classmates (Kosciw et al, 2013(Kosciw et al, , 2014, and specific support programs, such as Gay-Straight Alliances (Russell et al, 2009;Poteat et al, 2013;Toomey and Russell, 2013;Ioverno et al, 2016;Marx and Kettrey, 2016;Day et al, 2019).…”

LGBQ Youth’s Experiences of General and Bias-Based Bullying Victimization: the Buffering Role of Supportive School and Community Environments

“…Schools with GSAs tend to be larger, have staff with a longer teaching history, and a lower student to teacher ratio (Baams et al 2018). A recent meta-analysis examining associations between GSAs and student victimization and safety found that LGBTQ students in schools with GSAs had lower odds of sexual orientation-based victimization, fearing for their safety, and overhearing homophobic remarks than students in schools without GSAs (Day et al 2019;Marx and Kettrey 2016).…”

The push for transgender inclusion: Exploring boundary spanning in the gay–straight alliance

“…The adoption of the Gender‐Sexuality Alliance title, arguably, extents the membership boundaries by acknowledging specifically the diversity and variations in sexual and gender identities and expressions present within these clubs. As boundary‐spanning tactics can be instrumental as means of attaining protest goals as well as expressive in the sense of providing symbolic displays of group solidarity and collective identity (Wang, Liu, & Liu, ), it is postulated that the move to adopt a more inclusive and representative title may lead to an increase in transgender involvement within these clubs as inclusive GSA climates have been shown to enhance transgender membership and activism (Day et al, ; Greytak et al, ; Poteat, Calzo, & Yoshikawa, ).…”

“…Even more concerning is that transgender youth often face more marginalization than their lesbian and gay peers (Day, Fish, Grossman, & Russell, 2019;James et al, 2016;Kosciw & Diaz, 2006). The term transgender is an umbrella term used to describe individuals who identify with a gender incongruent to their sex recorded at birth.…”