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Make it Better: Promoting safety for targets of anti-LGBT bullying

Make it Better: Promoting safety for targets of anti-LGBT bullying. Brian Juchems Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools.

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Make it Better: Promoting safety for targets of anti-LGBT bullying

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  1. Make it Better: Promoting safety for targets of anti-LGBT bullying Brian Juchems Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools

  2. Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools (“GSAFE”) increases the capacity of LGBTQ youth and all students, educational staff, and families to create school environments in which LGBTQ youth and all students can thrive. We do this by: • Building the leadership of LGBTQ youth and their allies • Supporting GSAs • Training educational staff • Supporting inclusive families www.gsaforsafeschools.com

  3. Safe Schools, Safe Communities: the State Superintendent’s Conference on LGBT Youth • March 29th, 2012 • UW-Milwaukee Union • Ideal for K-12 educators, social workers, youth workers, community leaders, adults interested in the health and safety of LGBT youth, and school and community-group youth delegates • www.GSAforSafeSchools.com

  4. Seth Walsh, 13 Cody Barker, 17 Raymond Chase, 19 Fall 2010 Aiyisha Hassan, 20 Brandon Bitner, 14 Asher Brown, 13 Billy Lucas, 15 Tyler Clementi, 18

  5. The majority of WI youth experience verbal harassment due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Nearly three-fourths (72%) of Wisconsin youth hear “that’s so gay” frequently or often. 75% of WI youth say that it significantly bothers or distresses them when they hear “gay” used in a derogatory way. 2009 GSAFE Wisconsin School Climate Survey Verbal Violence

  6. Physical Violence • 25% of WI LGBT youth have been physically harassed because of their sexual orientation, 21% because of their gender expression. • Transgender and gender non-conforming youth experience more incidents of harassment and assault due to their sexual orientation, their gender, and their gender expression. • 2009 GSAFE Wisconsin School Climate Survey

  7. WI 2009 YRBS – LGB Youth • 5x more likely to miss school because they didn’t feel safe at school or on way to/from • 5x more likely to be in physical fight resulting in treatable injury • Less likely to endorse statements indicating evidence of emotional supports (ie, “my family loves and supports me when I need their help, my teachers care about and encourage me)

  8. WI 2009 YRBS – LGB Youth • 2x as likely to report feeling so sad or hopeless everyday that they stopped doing some usual activities • 3 x as likely to consider suicide in the past year and actually make plan • 4.5 x more likely attempted suicided in past year • 6x as likely to have attempted suicide resulting in treatable injuries

  9. WI 2009 YRBS • LGB youth are significantly more likely to report having had their first drink of alcohol before the age of 13 and to be regular cigarette smokers of more than one-half pack per day • The impact is broader than LGBT identified students. • Dane County Youth Assessment Research Brieaf

  10. Challenges for Transgender Youth While data on transgender youth is scarce, a 2011 retrospective study of transgender identified adults revealed significant risks: • Those who expressed transgender identity or gender non-conformity (K-12) reported alarming rates of harassment (78%), physical assault (35%), and sexual violence (12%). • 31% of transgender students reported harassment by teachers and staff. • The harassment was so severe that it led to nearly one-sixth (15%) to leave school. • For those who had to leave school due to harassment, nearly half (48%) experienced homelessness. - 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey

  11. Educators don’t always intervene • A quarter of WI youth report that faculty/staff never intervene when homophobic remarks are made in their presence. • 2009 GSAFE Wisconsin School Climate Survey • Two-thirds of LGBT youth report hearing homophobic remarks from faculty or school staff. • 2007 GLSEN National School Climate Survey

  12. Two Simple and Inexpensive Steps Your School or District can Take • Safe Zone Training for Staff • Creating and Supporting GSAs

  13. Safe Zone Programs • Increase staff confidence and ability to respond to questions and anti-LGBTQ comments through practice • Learn how to make school and classroom safe and inclusive for LGBTQ youth • Overview of LGB identity development, coming out, and local, state, and national resources • Plan how to respond to pushback • Training available at low or no cost. Thanks DPI!

  14. Why Safe Zone? • Students who could identify at least one supportive staff member at school reported an increased sense of belonging at their school. – GSAFE, 2009 • Students who had many (6 or more) supportive staff felt safer in school than those with no supportive staff. – GLSEN, 2009

  15. Why Safe Zone? • Students who saw positive portrayals of LGBT people, history and events in the classroom were less likely to have skipped school due to not feeling safe, reported higher academic performance (GPA), and had higher future educational aspirations than students who saw no portrayals of LGBT people, history and events in the classroom. – GSAFE, 2009

  16. Preliminary Info • Piloted at McFarland CESA 6. Trainings planned for Mount Horeb, Sun Prairie, Northwood/Solon Springs, and CESA 11. • 100% of McFarland pilot participants reported: • Increased confidence in responding to LGBT-related questions and anti-LGBT language • Increased motivation and knowledge of how to make classroom safer for LGBT youth • Two months later McFarland staff: • 50% have used skills to address anti-LGBT slurs • 90% have taken steps to make classroom or school safer for LGBT youth

  17. Setting up a training • McFarland offered it as an optional after school training for staff to fulfill professional development requirements. • Look at climate survey data or survey staff about confidence, knowledge, and commitment to addressing issues • Other?

  18. What To Say/Not To Say • Let’s Practice!

  19. Responding To Anti-LGBT Language/Behavior • Name It, Claim It, Stop It, (Walk Away) • Zero Indifference – Nancy Goldstein • Restorative, not punitive • Known your reporting policy

  20. What is a Gay-Straight Alliance? A Gay-Straight Alliance, or GSA, is a student-led group that forms within a school to promote school safety for students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ). These after-school clubs offer critical peer support for LGBTQ students, their straight allies, and youth who are questioning their identity. GSAs also provide education about LGBTQ issues to school communities.

  21. About 137 M.S. & H.S. GSAs and similar clubs in WI!

  22. Who Goes to GSA? • Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT). • Students who are questioning their sexual orientation or their gender identity. • Straight-identified students who support LGBTQ people and want to help create a safer school. • Children of LGBTQ parents. • Students who are social-justice minded and see this as a civil liberties issue. NOTE: Students who attend a GSA meeting are not, nor should they be, asked how they identify.

  23. GSAs provide a place for social support

  24. GSAs provide a place for education & learning

  25. GSAs provide a place for advocacy & activism

  26. Most GSAs are a combination of these three elements

  27. LGBT Students of Color & GSAs • GSAs are often physically & culturally white. • “Getting” LGBT issues ≠ getting issues of race & class. • LGBT students of color often have to chose between identities & groups and often chose NOT to join GSA. • Parallel work needs to happen: Work with white students to understand white privilege and engage in anti-racism efforts AND work to create spaces for LGBT youth of color and support their leadership.

  28. How do GSAs make a difference? GSAs provide important opportunities for leadership development. GSAs encourage students to be engaged both civically and with their school environment. GSAs provide opportunities for students to develop important social skills and critical thinking skills. GSA may be the one place where some students find support for and affirmation of their identity.

  29. How do GSAs make a difference? - GLSEN, 2009

  30. How do GSAs make a difference? • GSAs are one approach being used to create safe and welcoming school environments. In schools with support groups such as GSAs, lesbian, gay, and bisexual students were less likely to experience threats of violence, miss school because they felt unsafe, or attempt suicide than those in schools without such groups. - Hall HI, Ruiguang S, Rhodes P, et al. Estimation of HIV incidence in the United States. JAMA 2008;300:520– 529. • Students who attend a school that has a GSA report an increased sense of feeling safe at school and an increased sense of belonging. - 2009 GSAFE WI School Climate Survey • Arne Duncan “Dear Colleague” letter – June 14, 2011

  31. Laws that support GSAs • Equal Access Act • Secondary schools must allow GSAs to form if they allow formation of other non-curricular groups • First Amendment • Protects students right to express gay-positive opinions at school • WI Pupil Non-discrimination law • Prohibits discrimination (curricular and non-curricular) based on sexual orientation

  32. Two Schools – Two Strategies • Northwood School – Minong • School counselor formed support group for targets of anti-LGBT bullying • Found resources and brought them to local trainings and presentations • Group developed presentation for peers • Indian Mound Middle School – McFarland • Principal led charge to create m.s. GSA • Laid ground work (see hand out) • Open communication with admin, staff, community • Staff created video to support GSA

  33. DPI Webcast 1 hour length Includes expanded explanation of steps taken by principal Includes GSA PSA created by staff! http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sspw/lgbt.html

  34. Additional Resources • The Trevor Project: Suicide Prevention and 24-hour Hotline www.thetrevorproject.org • National Association of School Boards’ “Dealing with Legal Matters Regarding Students’ Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” www.tinyurl.com/legalmatters • Teaching Tolerance: “THIS Is Why We Need a GSA” www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-31-spring-2007/why-we-need-gsa • National Education Association: “Strengthening the Learning Environment – A School Employee’s Guide to GLBT Issues” www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_glbtguide.pdf • U.S Department of Education Statement on GSAs http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/110607.html • GLSEN – www.GLSEN.org

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