Each day, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students face ongoing hostile school climates that impact their safety and mental health.

Equality Federation and our members are working to build safe and just schools for LGBT youth nationwide so that students can learn, grow, and thrive.

Our partners at GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), have a comprehensive new report to help us better understand the recent experiences of LGBT middle and high school students, and advocate for policies and practices that make a difference in their lives.

The 2013 National School Climate Survey is GLSEN's 8th biennial report on the school experiences of LGBT youth in schools, including the in-school resources that support LGBT students’ well-being, the extent of the challenges that they face at school, and insights into many other aspects of LGBT students’ experiences.

Download the report here.

This latest edition of GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey, which was taken by thousands of students nationwide, revealed some major findings about LGBT student treatment in schools, and the lack of policies to protect them:

• Schools nationwide are hostile environments for a distressing number of LGBT students. 74% were verbally harassed in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 55% because of their gender expression.
• A hostile school climate affects students’ academic success and mental health. LGBT students who experience victimization and discrimination at school have worse educational outcomes and poorer psychological well-being. Grade point averages for these students were between 9 and 15% lower than for others.
• Students with LGBT-related resources and supports report better school experiences and academic success. LGBT students in schools with an LGBT-inclusive curriculum were less likely to feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation (35% vs. 60%).
• School climate for LGBT students has improved somewhat over the years, yet remains quite hostile for many. LGBT students reported a lower incidence of homophobic remarks in this report than ever before – from over 80% hearing these remarks regularly in 2001 to about 60% in 2013.

For the first time, the report also looks at school discipline policies and the school-to-prison pipeline. Among the new findings:

• Nearly a tenth of LGBT students in the survey (9.2%) reported that simply being out in school resulted in school discipline.
• LGBT youth who had experienced discriminatory policies and practices at school were three times as likely as their peers to have been involved with the criminal or juvenile justice system as a result of school-related infractions.
• Transgender youth were more likely to have been disciplined at school than cisgender youth, and cisgender youth whose gender expression was nonconforming also reported higher rates of school discipline than their gender conforming peers.

From the report findings, GLSEN offers recommendations for advocates who are working to create safe and affirming learning environments for LGBT students. They recommend: increasing student access to accurate information regarding LGBT people; supporting GSAs; providing professional development for school staff to create more supporters; ensuring policies and practices do not discriminate against LGBT students; and adopting and implementing comprehensive bullying/harassment policies.

Click here to download the National School Climate Survey.

With only 10% of students reporting having a comprehensive anti-bullying policy that included both sexual orientation and gender identity/expression at their school, it is critical that we continue to work with administrators and school staff in order to protect LGBT youth, and provide them with the opportunity to succeed.