By Aziah Siid
The American Civil Liberties Union is tracking an alarming 516 bills aimed at curtailing LGBTQ+ rights in states nationwide. From banning discussions of LGBTQ+ topics in classrooms to prohibiting transgender students from school sports teams aligning with their gender identity, these policies foster an unwelcoming and discriminatory environment for an already vulnerable population.
It’s legislation that could have a disproportionate impact on Black LGBTQ+ students, who face bullying, harassment, and violence due to their race and sexual orientation and/or gender identity. And at a time when the Black youth suicide rate has more than doubled, protecting these students is a top priority.
Feeling Unsafe, Being Harassed
Indeed, the results of a survey released in February by the Human Rights Campaign found that 42.7% of all Black LGBTQ+ youth and nearly “half (48.8%) of Black transgender and gender-expansive youth, feel unsafe in at least one setting in school.” The report found that 55.9% “of Black LGBTQ+ youth said they’d “been physically or verbally harassed at school in the past 30 days,” and 58.8% of Black transgender and gender-expansive youth said the same.
The survey also revealed 53.3% of Black LGBTQ+ youth screened positive for depression.
Preventing Suicide, Supporting Mental Health
That’s why organizations like The Trevor Project — which spearheaded the first national crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth — are arming schools with LGBTQ+ inclusion resources and model suicide prevention policies centered on protecting vulnerable Black students.
Gabby Doyle, senior manager of state advocacy at The Trevor Project, says policies being passed foster fear and create an unsupportive learning environment.
“These policies range from banning discussions of LGBTQ+ people and topics in the classroom, prohibiting transgender students from playing school sports that align with their gender identity, forcing teachers to out LGBTQ+ students to their families, and even restricting access to life-saving LGBTQ+ online resources like The Trevor Project’s website,” Doyle tells Word In Black.
The organization’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People found that the overwhelming majority (90%) of LGBTQ+ young people said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics. The organization’s research consistently shows that LGBTQ+ young people with access to safe, inclusive schools and affirming teachers and school staff have lower odds of considering or attempting suicide.
But it’s not just students who are under attack. In April, Texas’ Republican governor Greg Abbott gave a speech saying that gender nonconforming people should not be allowed to teach in the state’s public schools
“This type of behavior is not OK, and this is the type of behavior that we want to make sure we end in the state of Texas,” Abbott said, according to an audio recording reported by the Texas Observer.
“Despite what proponents of these harmful policies say, these efforts do not make schools safer or better for any student. Rather, they stop LGBTQ+ students from being able to bring their full selves to school, and prevent school staff and allies from providing them with the support they need,” Doyle says.
Comprehensive Resources for Schools
LGBTQ+ inclusion resources and model suicide prevention policies are being developed to protect these students. Their guidelines, developed with mental health groups, provide strategies like anti-bullying protections, gender-sexuality student groups, and affirmation of all identities.
In 2019, The Trevor Project, along with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American School Counselor Association, and the National Association of School Psychologists, created the Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention.
The comprehensive guidebook for school administrators and policymakers contains best practices in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies for K-12 schools.
Additionally, The Trevor Project’s “Is Your School LGBTQ-Affirming?” checklist can help educators and school officials determine whether their school adequately supports LGBTQ+ students.
“Making schools inclusive of LGBTQ+ students can provide a life-saving sense of belonging for young people, especially for those who may not live in affirming homes or communities,” Doyle says.
This can include school district policies that prioritize suicide prevention, zero tolerance policies for anti-LGBTQ+ bullying and harassment, and policies that support and accept students of all identities, including the adoption of affirming programs and extracurricular activities like Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs). Parents and allies can also get familiar with testifying at the local or state level against these efforts.
Above all, “Encourage the lawmakers and school officials in your community to implement policies that support the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ young people,” Doyle says.
This article was originally published in Word In Black .
