![]() ![]() ![]() Even though some of the new policies take aim at bathrooms and gymnasiums, the impact spills over to classrooms, hallways and libraries, affecting a much larger number of children. Experts say it’s harder to attempt to undo LGBT rights overall than to capitalize on confusion about the experiences of a very small subset of people.Īnd unlike past campaigns to vilify LGBTQ people, this time, the rhetoric targets kids, not adults. ![]() Ten years after same-sex marriage became widely recognized, a sizeable majority of Americans are comfortable with gay, lesbian and bisexual co-workers and neighbors. Of the approximately 16 million high school students in the United States, an estimated 1.8 million, or 11.6%, identify as LGBTQ. The number of youth who identify as something other than cisgender is growing, but it’s still a tiny number of children. Kids in the crosshairsĪ new data analysis by The 74 shows how this political wedge issue, aimed at a relatively small population of students, is having an outsize effect. Nationwide, 83% were harassed, 54% were sexually harassed and more than 12% assaulted. In fact, when reports of hostile speech by peers are added to the rate of problematic adult remarks, there is no state in the nation where fewer than 93% of LGBTQ students reported hearing slurs in school. In Texas, the number rose by 190% to 76%. In Louisiana, the number of students who report hearing transphobic remarks from school staff rose 235%, from 34% to 80%. In red states, the rise in anti-gay and anti-trans speech is smaller - but only because the starting numbers were much higher.Īccording to the surveys, anti-trans remarks are pervasive. The increases are so big in part because acceptance had been on the rise in many places. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Because the attacks against transgender kids are increasing across the country Minneasotans hold a rally at the capitol to support trans kids in Minnesota, Texas, and around the country. In Minnesota, where queer youth are protected by strong human rights laws, the number is up 520%. In Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage has been recognized for almost 20 years, the number of youth exposed to anti-LGBT remarks is up 686% over the same time frame. In California - where the first gay couples married in 2008 and schools began teaching LGBTQ history a decade ago - a statewide survey of students found that the number who reported hearing homophobic remarks from adults in school rose from 12% in 2019 to 49% in 2021. But the number of youth who see their schools as affirming has fallen dramatically over the last four years. Rates of self-harm are much lower among students who feel affirmed in school, and acceptance of LGBTQ students had risen steadily - if unevenly - following legal recognition of same-sex marriage. LGBTQ students who say their teachers care a lot about them are 37% less likely to consider suicide and 43% less likely to be depressed than those who don’t feel cared for, according to The Trevor Project. Strong in-school relationships are a well-known protective factor. Seventy percent report anxiety, and 57% experienced depression. Nearly half of LGBTQ 13- to 17-year-olds considered suicide last year, as opposed to some 19% of high school students overall, according to The Trevor Project. Newly released data from the advocacy groups GLSEN and The Trevor Project show increases in hostility, victimization and discrimination experienced by students in blue states as well as red. But less visible is the dramatic effect the steady drumbeat of headlines has had on youth in places with even strong anti-discrimination laws. It’s no surprise that queer students in Republican-dominated states where these laws have passed are profoundly impacted. In the opening weeks of the 2023 legislative season alone, more than 400 pieces of legislation aimed at LGBTQ people- most of them targeting schools - were introduced throughout the country.
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