Mental Health: 4 Strategies to Affirm LGBTQ+ Youth in Schools

By Leslie Crowe, Effective School Solutions

If we use the increase in LGBTQ+ characters on broadcast television as a pulse read for society’s acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, it would appear we’ve made tremendous strides. According to GLAAD, for the 2021–2022 television season, 92 characters are LGBTQ, an increase of 2.8 percentage points from the previous year. Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis, states that this increase is a welcome change from the previous year’s studies. “After finding several decreases in the previous year’s study, it is exciting to see quick progress made year-over-year with a new record high percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast,” she said.

Although representation of the LGBTQ+ community has increased on broadcast television, society, particularly in schools, has neglected to follow suit. The numbers show that a lack of acceptance is still prevalent among our LGBTQ+ youth. As a result, the percentages of LGBTQ+ children and teens struggling with mental health issues continue to surge in school and are, in fact, far higher than their non-gay (straight) peers.

Mental health issues among LGBTQ students are higher than their peers

While many youths are reporting feeling “unsafe” and “unwelcome” and that their schools are “not affirming,” a recent study by YouthTruth showed that rates of depression, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts were far higher among LGBTQ+ youth in schools than their peers last school year and highest among transgender and nonbinary youth.

The study found that more than 80% of high school students who identify as transgender or nonbinary cited depression, stress, or anxiety as obstacles to learning last school year. The survey also showed that roughly a third of LGBTQ+ high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide over the past year — four times the share of non-LGBTQ+ students who said they had considered it. Additionally, YouthTruth says, “There is no significant difference in the percentage of youth reporting that they have considered suicide in the previous year by grade level or by race; however, there are alarming differences by gender identity and LGBTQ+ status.”

YouthTruth isn’t the only survey that found higher mental health issues amongst the LGBTQ+ population. The CDC’s “Healthy Youth” study found that those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, other or questioning (LGBQ) are experiencing disproportionate levels of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors. For example, in 2021, 12% of female students, more than 25% of LGBQ students, and 17% of other or questioning students attempted suicide during the past year compared to 5% of their male peers and 5% of their heterosexual peers, respectively.

What is causing such poor mental health amongst our LGBTQ+ youth in schools? The 2021 National School Climate Survey of LGBTQ students conducted and released by GLSEN, a group that promotes safe and inclusive schools, found that schools nationwide can be challenging environments for a distressing number of LGBTQ+ students, the overwhelming majority of whom routinely hear anti-LGBTQ+ language and experience victimization and discrimination at school. As a result, many LGBTQ+ students avoid school activities or miss school entirely. The GLSEN study found that:

• 83.1% of LGBTQ+ students who attended school in-person experienced in-person harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender expression, gender, religion, actual or perceived race or ethnicity, and actual or perceived disability.
• 31.2% were physically harassed (e.g., pushed or shoved) in the past year based on their sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender.
• 12.5% were physically assaulted (e.g., punched, kicked, injured with a weapon) in the past year based on their sexual orientation, gender expression or gender.

LGBTQ+ mental health issues made worse by COVID-19

Not surprisingly, the problem was made worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools and local businesses were closed, spending time with peers was discouraged or banned, disruptions to routines, and anxiety surrounding loss and potential loss created additional mental health challenges for everyone, particularly the LGBTQ+ community.

In a CDC survey published in April 2022, 37% of U.S. high school students reported regular mental health struggles during COVID-19. LGBTQ+ students reported even higher rates of mental health stress than their heterosexual peers. And the number of LGBTQ+ high schoolers who said their mental health was not good most of the time or always during the pandemic was more than double that of heterosexual students (64% vs. 30%). Additionally, more than half of LGBTQ+ students (55%) said they experienced poor mental health at least most of the time in the 30 days before the survey, while 26% of heterosexual teens said the same.

Even more concerning, while more than half of students experienced emotional abuse in the home and more than 10% reported physical abuse in the home, lesbian, gay, and bisexual students were far more likely to report physical abuse. 20% reported that they had been physically abused by a parent or other adult in their home, compared to 10% of heterosexual students.

Opportunity for schools to provide mental health support

Many LGBTQ+ mental health organizations question why the rates of mental health issues are higher for LGBTQ+ students than their heterosexual peers. One theory is posed by James Lehman, MD, MPH, and psychiatry resident at UW Health, “There’s a unique feature of sexual and gender minorities that doesn’t apply to other populations, and that’s that you can be part of these minority groups while your family isn’t. Usually, people from disadvantaged groups find support from other community members or their own family, but that’s not always the case with LGBTQ+ people, whose families may be unsupportive.”

Typically, LGBTQ+ students with non-affirming families at home seek comfort from like-minded friends and appropriate social activities at school. If they fail to find suitable friends and social outlets at school or home, the result can culminate in ongoing mental health struggles. This gives schools an opportunity to support LGBTQ+ youths in a way their families cannot. In fact, The Trevor Project’s 2022 “National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health” uncovered that LGBTQ youth who found their school to be LGBTQ-affirming, reported lower rates of attempting suicide.

By providing an affirming environment and curriculum and mental health support in school, schools can make tremendous strides toward alleviating mental health issues and challenges among LGBTQ+ youth. Here are several best practice solutions your school or district can offer:

Establishing an Affirming Environment: 4 Strategies Your School Can Implement

1. Provide supportive and knowledgeable educators — Educators who are affirming can make a world of difference to struggling LGBTQ+ youth. Creating an inclusive environment (using preferred names and pronouns, initiating a zero-tolerance policy for bullying/harassment, seeking out teachable moments, etc.…) increases an LGBTQ+ student’s ability to learn, lowers depression, and decreases anxiety and suicide ideation. A little goes a long way; the National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health discovered that the presence of just one accepting adult could reduce suicide risk by 40%.

2. Create inclusive student policies — Implementing specific policies and procedures can not only make LGBTQ+ youth feel supported, it can also keep them safe. Anti-discrimination and zero tolerance for bullying and harassment policies are critical to advance equity and inclusion in schools. Click HERE for a full list of policy recommendations from the advocacy group GLSEN.

3. Offer supportive student clubs — Student clubs offer many benefits including meeting like-minded students, forming friendships, working together to advocate for the community and a sense of belonging. Student led GSA’s (Gay-Straight Alliances) can make schools feel safer and more welcoming. GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey has found that compared to LGBT students without a GSA, students in schools with a GSA or similar student club:

• Reported hearing fewer homophobic remarks.
• Experienced less harassment and assault because of their sexual orientation and gender expression.
• Were more likely to report incidents of harassment and assault.
• Were less likely to feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation or gender expression.
• Were less likely to miss school because of safety concerns
• Reported a greater sense of belonging to their school community.

4. Build an inclusive curriculum — Seeing themselves reflected in what they learn can make a tremendous difference in the self-esteem of LGBTQ+ students. Does your curriculum include LGBTQ+ authors, theorists, psychologists, and artists? Is the history of the Stonewall Uprising in 1969 more than just one bullet on a Power Point slide? One student in Howard County, Maryland, Zach Koung, pioneered efforts for an LGBTQ+ Studies course. “Inclusive curriculum isn’t this feel-good, kumbaya kind of thing,” Koung said. “It’s a data-driven approach that saves lives and makes a difference. Having access to an inclusive curriculum substantially increases your ability to learn and your ability to thrive.”

By implementing these strategies and becoming an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, you have the opportunity to help alleviate the current mental health crisis in our schools. Now is the time to educate your students and community, become a champion for change and create a safe and welcoming environment for every student who walks through your doors.