4785 Attachment E - LGBTQ2SIA Student Success Plan.pdf

June 2020

LGBTQ2SIA+

Student Success Plan Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender/non-binary Queer/Questioning 2 Two-Spirit Intersex Asexual + Recognizes that there are myriad ways to describe gender identities & sexual orientations

A note on the title: The Advisory Group discussed multiple options for a title. None of the options felt like they adequately captured the desire to be fully inclusive while being simple and connected to commonly used research terms. The majority of the workgroup present at the time of discussion supported the decision to use this acronym with the words spelled out to bring awareness to the myriad ways people within this community identify. There was recognition that this acronym specifically leaves out non-binary, which is a term used in education and research. For the purposes of this plan, it is included with Transgender, recognizing that the two terms are different and people who identify as one may not identify as the other. The workgroup’s hope with this title is that it expands awareness and adds to the vocabulary of describing the infinite spectrum of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and biology.

ATTACHMENT E

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 2

Table of Contents

Foreword from LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan Advisory Group

Oregon Department of Education Director’s Message

LGBTQ2SIA+ Advisory Group Members

Defining Key Terms

LGBTQ2SIA+ Youth Experiences

Research Review

State Policy Challenges

Recommendations | Trust, Connection and Inclusion

Summary of Recommendations | Three Interdependent Levels of Impact

Domain 1 | Individual Intention and Impact

Domain 2 | Institutional Policies and Facilities

Domain 3 | State Accountability and Support Systems

Appendix A: Practice Guidance Regarding Trainings

Appendix B: Resources & Promising Practices for Supporting LGBTQ2SIA+ Students

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 3

Foreword from LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan Advisory Group

Oregonians are committed to the success of all our youth. This Student Success Plan was written to address barriers to educational success for Oregonian students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, non-binary, transgender, gender queer, two-spirit, intersex, asexual (+). This student success plan establishes a framework for creating safe, inclusive and welcoming schools for LGBTQ2SIA+ students.

Members of the LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Act Advisory Group met for several months with SeeChange LLC to form a framework to create safer and more affirming classrooms and schools for our LGBTQ2SIA+ students. Our work was informed by the lived experiences of LGBTQ2SIA+ students and families in Oregon as well as three decades of research on educational barriers for students who are

LGBTQ2SIA+.

It is critical for Oregon educators to be informed of both resilience and excellence of these students as well as the challenges and barriers these students experience in our school system. We must not discount the tremendous inherent strength in each of these students. What we know is that despite the statistically inhospitable educational settings they experience, in school and in their communities, LGBTQ2SIA+ students persevere with little educational support and often find ways to connect with one another.

In establishing this plan, we want to highlight the necessity for an intersectional framework that addresses the multiple identities LGBTQ2SIA+ students occupy. Student experiences related to racial identity, tribal sovereignty, religious identity, social class, disability, and immigration status interact with their experiences associated with the LGBTQ2SIA+ identity. Supporting the multiple valuable identities of these youth as assets, embracing their lived experiences, and creating nurturing environments for these youth means we need to think deeply about how our previous work to support student success has set a new foundation for our state.

We set forth this plan mindful of the Oregon Department of Education’s request to establish strategies to increase inclusivity, increase student belonging, reduce bullying, address bias-based harassment and campus assaults, and improve attendance. We know from what youth share about their experiences, and what research and data shows, that our state has an opportunity to support the strengths and resilience of LGBTQ2SIA+ students.

The following plan provides strategies and goals to work toward addressing educational and social-emotional needs of these students. The plan addresses 1.) the need for professional development among Oregon educators, 2.) equitable access to appropriate educational curriculum, facilities and activities 3.) necessary data collection through an annual climate survey and student advisory group to inform future decision making regarding this student population.

This plan is offered with the expectation that Oregon educators will lead as advocates for LGBTQ2SIA+ students now and adapt as these needs and challenges change. We offer these recommendations as a path to set us down a new road of creating safer and more welcoming school environments for LGBTQ2SIA+ students.

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 4

Oregon Department of Education Director’s Message

On May 20, 2019 Governor Brown signed the Student Success Act into law. This Act recognized that all students deserve a high quality education and marshalled resources for Oregon schools and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to address long-standing disparities in serving students of color, students with disabilities, emerging bilingual students, and students navigating poverty, houselessness, and foster care. Section 25 of the Student Success Act allows ODE to develop and provide statewide equity initiatives for student communities it identifies as underserved by our education system.

ODE has identified an urgency to bolster existing equity initiatives while also recognizing how race and ethnicity intersect for many of Oregon’s LGBTQ2SIA+ students. Instances of individual acts of bias are often institutionalized in policies and in systems that create compounded impacts both across race and ethnicity and across sexual orientation and gender identity. Oregon’s LGBTQ2SIA+ students are at significantly high risk for bullying and harassment, suffering violence while at school, sexual assault, chronic absenteeism, and suicidal ideation. As is detailed in this Plan, LGBTQ2SIA+ students of color and experiencing disabilities are at even higher risk of violence and harassment. LGBTQ2SIA+ students of color, especially Black and Latino/a/x students, are also at even greater risk of being pushed out of school by education and criminal justice institutions. These, collectively, are the crises that Oregon students face and that education leaders must acknowledge and address.

While each Oregon student holds promise and is full of strength, our education system has done little to make this promise and strength visible. The LGBTQ2SIA+ student community is perceived by many as invisible due to data limitations, lack of consistent school climate surveys, and lack of institutionalized ways to integrate student voice into education decision-making. Oregon collects gender information only as male, female, and X for non-binary or gender-fluid. Oregon does not collect information on student sexual orientation. However, 22.2% of 11th grade students identified as lesbian or gay, bisexual, not sure, or something else on the 2019 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey.

The experience of this significant student population brings urgency to address long standing inequities for LGBTQ2SIA+ students.

ODE has been a national leader in protecting the civil rights for LGBTQ2SIA+ youth. It was among the first states to allow students to identify as non-binary or gender-fluid. It has developed and distributed guidance to protect the rights of transgender students. It is now imperative that we seek legislative support and funding to fully engage our LGBTQ2SIA+ youth and provide education equity.

ODE defines education equity as the equitable implementation of policy, practices, procedures, and legislation that translates into resource allocation, education rigor, and opportunities for historically and currently marginalized youth, students, and families including civil rights protected classes. This means the restructuring and dismantling of systems and institutions that create the dichotomy of beneficiaries and the oppressed and marginalized.

This plan was created through deep collaboration with LGBTQ2SIA+ affinity partners from across the state. It was informed by LGBTQ2SIA+ student voice. This plan was also developed amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. The COVID-19 crisis and the LGBTQ2SIA+ Advisory Group’s https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/BIRTHDEATHCERTIFICATES/SURVEYS/OREGONHEALTHYTEENS/Pages/2019_Gender_11th.aspx

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 5 dedication to the work through the challenges serves as a testament of the importance of the effort.

Now our state and country are experiencing civil unrest stemming from centuries of police brutality against Black communities and the latest police killings of George Floyd, a transgender man named Tony McDade and countless other Black people. Our work to create safe and inclusive communities, both in and beyond school walls, could not be more imperative. As education is now delivered in multiple settings at school, in communities, and in homes. We must recognize that it is our responsibility to provide a safe, welcoming, and respectful space for LGBTQ2SIA+ students.

As it has across the world, COVID-19 constrained some of our ability to hold in person meetings with the LGBTQ2SIA+ Advisory Group and limited our engagement with youth groups across the state. I offer my deep appreciation to the Advisory Group members and youth who were able to prioritize this effort at this time and work with us to create a vital and inspirational plan for serving Oregon’s students.

I fully support the recommendations of the LGBTQ2SIA+ Advisory Group. I am heartened that the Plan offers many opportunities for ODE to work across our agency to support strategies that foster coordinated approaches to student success across race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, and sexual orientation. I also recognize that this Plan can have little impact without the force of law and without resources to make the words contained in this Plan a reality. I am committed to working with Governor Brown to seek support for policy and funding from the 2021 Oregon Legislature to bring these recommendations to reality. ODE will continue to collaborate with affinity partners and students in the community, and with other state agencies to ensure success for LGBTQ2SIA+ students.

LGBTQ2SIA+ students have a right to a safe, supportive, and inclusive education free from violence, harassment, and discrimination.

Sincerely, Colt Gill Director of the Oregon Department of Education and Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 6

LGBTQ2SIA+ Advisory Group Members

Name Pronouns Organization or Role Daniel A. Adams He/Him Oregon Safe Schools and Communities

Coalition Christopher Almasie He/Him HIV Alliance Robert J. Bizjak, Ed.D. He/Him Educator Kieran Chase They/Them Basic Rights Oregon K.T. Emerson She/Her Oregon School Activities Association Heidi Esbensen She/Her Bridging Voices, parent of LQBTQ2SIA+ student, and advocate Olive Guajardo She/Her Parent of LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Dr. Tina Gutierez-Schmich She/Her Bethel School District/UOTeach University of

Oregon Jennifer Harris She/Her Eugene School District 4J, School Counselor Dr. Julie Heffernan She/Her UOTeach, University of Oregon Sara Hepler She/Her Parent of a LGBTQ2SIA+ student, Clackamas

County PFLAG Leah Hinkle She/Her Parent of a LGBTQ2SIA+ student, Clackamas

County PFLAG Seth Johnstone He/Him LGBTQ Engagement and Education Specialist at SMYRC, The sexual and gender minority youth resource center

Alyssa Linares They/Them Program Coordinator at SMYRC, The sexual and gender minority youth resource center

Rachel Lakey She/Her Advocate Gretchen Mollers She/Her Beaverton School District, Oregon Education

Association Lindsay Ray She/Her Teacher and QSA Advisor at Westview

HS/OSSCC Board Member Danni/y Rosen She/Her, He/Him GLSEN - Oregon Tiffany Rush She/Her North Bend School District Brianna Stiller School Psychologist Rebecca Swindle She/Her PFLAG, Parent of a LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Matthew Town He/Him Pacific University Aryn Zanca They/Them The Living Room

Staff from state agencies also participated in the work group, including:

Name Pronouns Organization or Role Helen Dunford She/Her Higher Education Coordinating Commission Jarrod Shaw He/Him Youth Development Division Kia Sorensen, Ph.D. She/Her Higher Education Coordinating Commission

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 7

Defining Key Terms

The terms used in this Plan are intended to be inclusive and provide visibility to some of the ways in which LGBTQ2SIA+ students identify and describe their gender and sexuality. These terms evolve over time. Unless otherwise specified, the definitions of terms that are included below are borrowed and adapted from three sources:

1. GLSEN’s Model District Policy on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

2. GLSEN’s Safe Space Kit

3. Indigenizing Love: A Toolkit for Native Youth to Build Inclusion

LGBTQ2SIA+:

A term that encompasses multiple gender identities and sexual orientations including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirit, Intersex, and Asexual. The plus sign (“+”) recognizes that there are myriad ways to describe gender identities and sexual orientations. It is also important to recognize that the challenges and barriers for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer can be different from the challenges and barriers faced by students with diverse and/or expansive gender identities and expressions.

Asexual: A person who does not experience sexual attraction, but could still experience other forms of attraction (e.g. emotional, intellectual).

Agender: A person who does not identify with a specific gender or feels neutral when it comes to their gender identity.

Bisexual: A person who is attracted to more than one gender.

Cisgender: A person who feels their gender identity and expression align with the sex they were assigned at birth or by society.

Gay: A person who is attracted to a person of the same gender.

Gender Expression: The way a person expresses their gender in ways that make them feel more comfortable and aligned to who they are. Some forms of expression could be clothing, voice, cosmetics, or mannerisms.

Gender Identity: A person’s deeply held knowledge of their own gender, which can include being female, male, another gender, or no gender. Gender identity is an innate and largely inflexible part of a person’s identity. One’s gender identity can be the same or different than the gender assigned at birth. The responsibility for determining an individual’s gender identity rests with the individual.

Gender Nonconforming: A person who does not identify with a specific set of traits (behavioral, cultural, community roles) on the male to female spectrum https://www.glsen.org/activity/model-district-policy-transgender-and-gender-nonconforming-students https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/GLSEN%20English%20SafeSpace%20Book%20Text%20Updated%202019.pdf https://www.westernstatescenter.org/indigenizinglove

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 8

Intersex: Intersex is an umbrella term for unique variations in reproductive or sex anatomy. Variations may appear in a person’s chromosomes, genitals, or internal organs like testes or ovaries. Some intersex traits are identified at birth, while others may not be discovered until puberty or later in life.1

Lesbian: A female-identified person who is attracted to women.

Non-binary/Genderqueer: These terms are often used to describe people whose gender is not exclusively male or female, including those who identify with a gender other than male or female, as more than one gender, or as no gender.

Pronouns: The pronoun or set of pronouns that a person identifies with and would like to be called when their proper name is not being used. Examples include “she/her/hers,” “he/him/his,” ze/hir/hirs,” and “they/them/theirs.” Some people prefer no pronouns at all, or some combination such as “she/they.”

Queer: A person who does not subscribe to dominant social norms to define their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. While it is used as a neutral, or even a positive term among many LGBTQ people today, historically “queer” has been used as a derogatory slur. It is sometimes still used as a slur by those who do not identify as part of the community.

Sexual Orientation: A person’s romantic and/or physical attraction to people of the same and/or another gender, such as being straight, gay, bisexual, or asexual. Transgender and gender nonconforming people may have any sexual orientation.

Transgender: A person who feels their gender identity and expression do not align with the sex they were assigned at birth or by society.

Two-Spirit: A term used within some Indigenous communities, encompassing cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity. The term reflects complex Indigenous understandings of gender roles, spirituality, and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures. Individual terms and roles for Two-Spirit people are specific to each nation.2

1 Intersex Definitions - interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2020, from https://interactadvocates.org/intersex-definitions/

2 Two-Spirit. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2020, from http://www.phsa.ca/transcarebc/trans-basics/two-spirit

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 9

LGBTQ2SIA+ Youth Experiences

The process of developing recommendations for this Student Success Plan was grounded first and foremost in hearing from LGBTQ2SIA+ youth. Organized in partnership with education service districts, community-based organizations, and school districts, this youth engagement consisted of four sessions (including current K12 students and those who are no longer in school) between February and May 2020 in the South Coast, the Dalles, Southern Oregon, and Portland metropolitan area. Another focus group was done by one school district in Lane County to inform Student Success Act priorities; this group included students of color and LGBTQ2SIA+ students so some of that data is reflected here as well.

While the intention of this youth engagement was to ensure that youth experiences inform the understanding of the problems and barriers that students face, the solutions they proposed, and the recommendations that the advisory group developed, it was not intended to be a comprehensive inventory of all LGBTQ2SIA+ issues. There are at least two major limitations to this youth engagement that are important to name. First, the engagement did not include elementary students or families and children in early learning programs, so these voices are missing and could be included as outreach in further iterations and implementation of this Plan. Second, additional engagement through student clubs that include affinity-based representation (such as Gender Sexuality Alliances and culturally-specific school-based clubs) was planned and in progress when COVID-19 forced school closures and limited the efficacy of outreach efforts.

Despite these limitations, the youth we were able to engage graciously shared their experiences and wisdom and were eager to be heard. This insight, thematically summarized here, echoes what advisory group members, researchers, and other experts hear from LGTBQ2IA+ youth regularly. These insights provide the foundation for opportunities discussed in the Recommendations section for individuals, institutions, and systems to do better to normalize and make visible the many intersecting identities, strengths, and inherent excellence in LGBTQ2IA+ youth.

The key takeaways from this youth engagement are:

• Youth Insight #1: Supportive educators are crucial for students to feel safe and included.

• Youth Insight #2: Curriculum, coursework, and afterschool activities are engaging when they are relevant to students’ interests and lived experiences.

• Youth Insight #3: Access to gender-neutral restrooms (also known as all-user restrooms) is important for students to feel physically safe and included.

• Youth Insight #4: Students generally know how to report instances of bullying or harassment, but few trust that adults will respond with action if reports are made.

• Youth Insight #5: More mental health supports are needed.

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 10

Youth Insight #1: Supportive educators are crucial for students to feel safe and included.

a) Youth feel supported by teachers who go out of their way to ask them about their day. This in turn makes students feel more comfortable and connected to school.

One student who is currently at a charter school that uses project-based learning said, “I wasn’t happy at my old school.

No one cared. I felt I was being left behind.” That student went on to share that the teachers at their current school showed they cared by checking in with them regularly about school and non-school related matters.

Students described that these types of teacher actions make them feel more connected to the school.

b) When educators fail to interrupt discriminatory or bias-based bullying remarks, or make discriminatory or biased remarks themselves, youth feel unsafe, isolated, and/or disengaged with their education. According to a national survey conducted by GLSEN, nearly 99% of LGBTQ youth around the country have heard homophobic words at school, and nearly 92% felt distressed by this language.3 The youth engagement conducted for this Student Success Plan affirmed that Oregon students’ experiences align with national trends. Students in Oregon schools reported that they have routinely heard teachers, other school staff, and students expressing anti- LGBTQ, anti-immigrant, racist, sexist, and/or ableist comments without repercussion. Students feel unsafe when these comments are not interrupted by other students or teachers. One student described the connection between biased bullying, safety, and academic success in the following way: “Feeling unsafe causes anxiety, which triggers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and makes it harder to concentrate in class.” This was a common theme throughout many youth stories and is contextualized in Figure A.

Several students stated that they either switched to home schooling or transferred to other schools in part or entirely as a result their safety concerns. Students also reported that they were absent from school at least once because they felt alone or isolated as a result of biased comments from other students or teachers.

3 Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Zongrone, A. D., Clark, C. M., & Truong, N. L. (2018). The 2017 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.

“When my health teacher said a homophobic joke, I tuned out.”

-Oregon Student

“When the teachers seem like they want to get to know me, that made me feel valued.”

-Oregon Student

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 11

Figure A: Students’ description of how bullying impacts their learning

c) Use of inclusive language and pronouns builds trust and fosters connection with school. Students appreciate when teachers at their school ask students what pronouns and names they want to use in parent conferences. One student noted that even if a teacher “messes up my pronouns, I can tell they’re trying because they acknowledge it and apologize.” When they were asked what their best day or best moment at school was, one student said, “The first day of school because I could give my chosen name and come out [as transgender].” These types of practices affirm students’ inherent strength in knowing what’s best for themselves and builds mutual respect between teachers and youth.

Youth Insight #2: Curriculum, coursework, and afterschool activities are engaging when they are relevant to students’ interests and lived experiences.

a) A majority of students we heard from believe that their curriculum is not sufficiently inclusive of LGBTQ2SIA+ people or issues. They are concerned about the lack of health and safe sex information that is inclusive of their identities as LGBTQ2SIA+ students. They further noted a general lack of teaching about issues impacting LGBTQ+ communities and other historically marginalized communities, including American Indians/Alaska Natives and other people of color. Finally, students noted that the strengths and contributions of LGBTQ+ people in their curriculum (writers, scientists, engineers, etc.) are not present in their curriculum. Students said that some of their textbooks are decades old – “Are we stuck in the 50s? We need more exposure to different cultures, genders, etc.”

b) After school activities & clubs can be safe spaces where youth find connection and engagement. When asked what their best moment at school was, many students’ responses included the times they have been in afterschool programs that include theater, dance, debate, etc. These activities were seen as valuable opportunities primarily because they were “fun” and participation was voluntary. In other words, they were able to self-determine their activities and that in and of itself created excitement and engagement for them.

“We need to see ourselves in curriculum.”

Biased Bullying and/or Failure to

Interrupt Bullying (by peers or adults)

Feeling Unsafe Causes Anxiety and/or is triggering

Makes it harder to concentrate in class

Contributes to disengagement

& interferes with learning

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 12

Another aspect of safe, affirming spaces that is important to students includes “GSA” (Gender-Sexuality Alliance or Gay- Straight Alliance), “QSA” (Queer-Straight Alliance), and other clubs based on students’ cultural, racial, or ethnic identity (affinity groups such as Latino Club, Black Student Union, etc.). Student comments indicate that these spaces are safe and affirming because of the shared aspects of identities within the group. When considered within the context of the preceding youth comments related to the prevalence of biased bullying, the implication of youth comments related to safe spaces (GSAs, QSAs, and other affinity groups based on identity) is because the overall school environment is not safe or affirming. For example, “Our QSA is so cool and it really betters my high school experience because there is a stigma around these things [in the school].” Another student said, “Spaces set aside for diverse students (Latino club, LGBTQ+ clubs) are the safest spaces, but feeling safe should not be limited to a meeting or room.”

c) Project-based learning opportunities help many students see their classes as relevant.

For example, one student shared that “[t]hey’re giving us academic work that’s preparing us for life. My class gets to make food for a catering event. They give us experiences.”

Another student shared that projects that are based in the community provide them with exposure to people of different backgrounds, such as people experiencing homelessness. These experiences are seen as important in part because of their perceived relevance to students’ lives and in part because of students’ exposure to new ideas, possible career paths, and diverse life experiences.

Youth Insight #3: Access to gender-neutral restrooms (also known as all-user restrooms) is important for students to feel physically safe and included.

Access to restrooms was seen as a broader issue than whether there is one restroom students can use in a school, college, or university. Middle school, high school, and college students spoke about barriers to feeling safe when there is just one restroom in their school or on their college campus. While we did not speak with elementary students as part of this engagement, advisory group members did affirm that access to gender-neutral restrooms is an anxiety- and fear-inducing challenge and barrier that elementary students experience as well. For example, one student said that when the only gender-neutral restroom is in use, they feel unsafe because of the time they have to stand outside of the restroom to wait. This waiting time may expose the students to bullying or harassment. Another student noted a disparity in how different restrooms are maintained and encouraged all restrooms to be equally well maintained. Yet another student spoke about restroom access being limited when the key to the only gender-neutral restroom in the school is kept in the office a far distance from their classrooms. This

“Spaces set aside for diverse students (Latino club, LGBTQ+ clubs) are the safest spaces, but feeling safe should not be limited to a meeting or room.”

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 13 type of practice does little to normalize the availability and accessibility of gender-neutral restrooms; can reinforce a negative stigma associated with restrooms that are intended for all users; and can create anxiety, discomfort, or trauma for students. Over 40% of LGBTQ students surveyed nationwide in 2017 reported avoiding male-only and female-only spaces in schools (such as restrooms or locker rooms) due to fear or discomfort, suggesting that these students need and want gender-inclusive spaces such as gender-neutral restrooms to be available and accessible in their schools, colleges, and universities.

Youth Insight #4: Students generally know how to report instances of bullying or harassment, but few trust that adults will respond with action if reports are made.

In a national school climate survey done by GLSEN in 2017, over half of LGBTQ students reported being harassed or assaulted in school, but did not report the incident to school staff. The two most common reasons students did not report were because they doubted the reporting would be effective or they feared it could make their situation worse. Of the students who did report harassment or assault to school staff, nearly 6 out of 10 said that staff took no action or they were told to ignore it. Comments below from Oregon youth echo this national research:

Youth Insight #5: More mental health supports are needed.

The unique challenges and barriers that LGBTQ2SIA+ students experience in schools demonstrated by all of the preceding comments related to safety and well-being connect closely with the students’ additional requests for mental health supports- including counselors that are LGBTQ2SIA+. Several students shared their school did not have a counselor to address mental health and social support needs and those types

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 14 of support are needed. One youth stated that “flyers about suicide prevention do nothing. Talk to me instead.” Students stated they find it helpful when teachers tell students it’s okay to take a “mental health day” at home if needed and/or when school policies allow for getting extra time to submit homework assignments if a student misses a day of school for any reason.

Research Review

As noted in the previous section, LGBTQ2SIA+ students are attuned to their own needs to elevate their own strengths and resilience. This resilience and strength manifests in myriad ways – from showing up to school even when facing threatening or inhospitable school climates to staying engaged in class even when their experiences and identities are consistently excluded from curriculum.

When education, health, mental health, and criminal justice systems fail to recognize students’ strengths and address their needs, these students must navigate a multitude of barriers. This is especially acute for students whose LGBTQ2SIA+ identity intersects with other historically marginalized identities, who must navigate racism in addition to homophobia and transphobia. While the previous section of this report used qualitative data (i.e. stories and anecdotes from students) to illustrate the day-to-day individual-level experiences of students, this section synthesizes data and research from national and Oregon-specific studies about how students’ inherent strengths are impeded by systemic and institutional barriers including but not limited to racism.

It is important to note that Oregon currently does not have a statewide school climate survey to assess youth experiences and well-being at school, which can help systematically understand disparities and identify opportunities for improvement from students’ own lens. Instead, much of the Oregon-specific data described here is based on a national nonprofit’s 2017 national survey that contains Oregon-specific data, and an Oregon Health Authority survey that provides some insight on in-school experiences. Using these and other data sources, the Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition has published seven

“[We need] more counselors”

“[We need] more mental health breaks”

“[We need] free/reduced counseling sessions

“[We need] a counselor that identifies as LGBT”

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 15 annual reports on the State of Safe Schools that provides a much more far-reaching research and data analysis regarding the issues pertaining to LGBTQ youth than what is intended to be presented here.4

While this discussion does not intend to be a comprehensive picture of all of the issues facing LGBTQ2SIA+ youth in our schools and our communities, it does describe how individual actions rooted in bias translates into isolation, fear, and disconnection that systematically prevents students from thriving in areas of health, mental health, and education. These findings helped to inform the recommendations.

The key takeaways from this research synthesis are:

• Research Finding #1: Individual acts of bias, assault, and harassment in school are a regular threat throughout LGBTQ student experiences in school and impact student mental health, well-being, and student success.

• Research Finding #2: Individual biases shape the institutional policies and practices that underlie LGBTQ students’ adverse experiences.

Research Finding #1: Individual acts of bias, assault, and harassment in school is a regular threat throughout LGBTQ student experiences in school and impact student mental health, well-being, and student success.

A 2019 survey conducted among 8th and 11th grade students in Oregon schools found that 6 out of 10 lesbian, gay, or bisexual 8th graders reported being bullied within the last month due to race, gender, sexual orientation, or body shaming.5 In comparison, 2 out of 10 straight students reported this form of bullying. In addition, 22% of gender diverse6 8th graders reported being threatened with a weapon on school property compared to 17% of sexual orientation minorities, and 10% among 8th graders overall. Despite being one of just 21 states that requires all school districts to have anti-bullying policies that explicitly prohibit bullying due to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and many other protected classes7, Oregon’s rates of reported bullying are on par with the national rates.

4 Heffernan, J. & Guitierez-Schmich, T. (2020). State of Safe Schools. Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition.

5 Ibid.

6 Terminology varies throughout this report because each study examined uses different terminology depending on the demographic choices they provide in their studies. In this instance, gender diverse refers to the set of gender category options that students could choose in this study that were not “male” or “female.”These students instead selected options such as“transgender,” “genderqueer,” “gender nonconformting,” etc.

7 Enumerated Anti-Bullying Laws By State. GLSEN Policy Map available at: https://www.glsen.org/policy-maps. The Safe Schools Act of 2009 requires school districts to implement comprehensive anti-bullying policies to enumerate protected

What I Wish My Teacher Knew:

“I don’t like it when you pull me out of class to ask me if I’m being bullied. I want to be seen as more than a minority. Ask me if I want to be a part of the conversation before you pull me out of class in front of everyone.”

https://www.glsen.org/policy-maps

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 16

Rates of physical harm are high as well - nearly 3 out of 10 LGBTQ students were physically harassed due to their sexual orientation and nearly 1 out of 4 were physically harassed due to their gender expression.8 This harm translates to nearly 6 out of 10 LGBTQ students feeling unsafe because of their sexual orientation and nearly half because of their gender expression.9

It is critical to note that students of color who are LGBTQ are at greater risk of experiencing in-school victimization than their LGBTQ peers who are white. Figure B is a chart from GLSEN’s National School Climate survey (2017) that shows how in-school victimization clusters to create compounded impact against students because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender expression. For example, nearly half of LGBTQ students who identified as Native American, American Indian, or Alaska Native reported the victimization based on their racial/ethnic identity and about three-quarters experienced victimization based on their gender expression and sexual orientation.

classes that include sexual orientation and gender identity. A list of Oregon protected classes can be found here at the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries: https://www.oregon.gov/boli/TA/docs/Protected_Classes.pdf.

8 Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Zongrone, A. D., Clark, C. M., & Truong, N. L. (2018). The 2017 National School Climate Survey:

The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.

9 Ibid.

https://www.oregon.gov/boli/TA/docs/Protected_Classes.pdf

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 17

Figure B

Source: Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Zongrone, A. D., Clark, C. M., & Truong, N. L. (2018). The 2017 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN, p. 104.

Just as LGBTQ students of color face compounded impacts due to their intersectional marginalized identities, so too do LGBTQ students with disabilities. LGBTQ students with disabilities are more likely to feel unsafe, and more likely to miss school due to safety concerns compared to LGBTQ students without disabilities. For example, as shown in Figure C, nearly 40% of LGBTQ students with disabilities missed school in the past month because of safety concerns compared to 32% of LGBTQ students without disabilities according to national data. While data to compare this to Oregon students was not available at the time of writing, we do know that overall in Oregon 8th and 11th grade LGBTQ+ youth (regardless of whether they experience disability) were twice as likely as non-LGBTQ youth to have missed school at least once in the past month because they felt unsafe; rates among gender diverse students were even higher.10

10 Heffernan, J. & Guitierez-Schmich, T. (2020). State of Safe Schools. Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition.

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 18

Figure C

Source: Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Zongrone, A. D., Clark, C. M., & Truong, N. L. (2018). The 2017 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN, p. 90.

Further, when curriculum makes invisible the intersectional identities of these students, when restrooms or locker rooms fail to recognize their gender, when teachers and other adults fail to act on the reports of racism, implicit bias, harassment, or assault, we see the impacts in adverse mental health outcomes.

The 2019 Oregon Health Authority Survey found LGBTQ students to be at greater risk of adverse mental health conditions, particularly related to suicide and suicide ideation. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Oregonians aged 10 to 2411, and the Oregon Health Authority survey found that about half of gender diverse or LGB 8th grade students considered suicide (compared to 20% of all 8th graders).

Nearly 1 in 3 of them had actually attempted suicide.12

11 Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division, Injury and Violence Prevention, https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/PreventionWellness/SafeLiving/SuicidePrevention/Pages/sdata.aspx 12 Heffernan, J. & Guitierez-Schmich, T. (2020). State of Safe Schools. Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition.

“I wish teachers would stop bullying or handle it.”

-Oregon Student

“When the kids in my class did a Hitler salute to me, I told the substitute and they said “if I didn’t see it, it didn’t happen.”

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 19

Research Finding #2: Individual biases shape the institutional policies and practices that underlie LGBTQ2IA+ students’ adverse experiences.

Policy and practice are at the mercy of the people tasked with leading them. Because all people are acculturated with beliefs through television, other media, education, religion, cultural values, and much more, individuals maintain a schema, or worldview, that often normalizes heterosexual, binary (male/female), and white dominant values. This becomes problematic when leaders with institutional authority over policies and procedures hold biases, whether implicit or explicit, that result in discriminatory attitudes and behaviors towards a protected class of people. These policies and practices are wide-ranging -- from school discipline to lack of access to gender-inclusive restrooms or locker room facilities to daily occurrences that marginalize LGBTQ2SIA+ identities, minimize their strengths, and create institutional barriers to their success.

a) Disproportionate “push out” of LGBTQSIA+ youth of color One example of how individual perceptions can influence the policies of education institutions is disproportionate “push out” of school of LGBTQ youth. One of the only national studies that examines disproportionality in school discipline over time among LGBTQ youth found that LGBTQ youth were consistently pushed out of school, stopped by police, arrested, and convicted of crime in juvenile court at higher rates than non-LGBTQ youth.13 While this data was published nearly a decade ago, more recent qualitative data collection efforts by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network upholds the trend. An individual interviewed for that study named the problem as follows, “When you’re talking about the [School to Prison Pipeline] you do need to consider every piece of someone’s identity. So if you’re a youth of color and you’re also LGBT you are a higher risk of being pushed out of school because…of racism within our school system and because of homophobia in our school system.”14 This observation is clearly reflected in the data: while LGBTQ youth are estimated to comprise 5% to 7% of the youth population overall, they represent over 15% of those in the juvenile justice system.15 And nationally, while Black and Latino students comprise less than 40% of the school population across the country, nearly half of the students who are arrested for school-based incidences are Black and Latino.16 It’s clear that when racial identities intersect with sexual orientation and gender identities, the likelihood of push out is greater.

13 Kathryn E.W. Himmelstein and Hannah Brückner, Criminal-Justice and School Sanctions Against Nonheterosexual Youth: A

National Longitudinal Study, Pediatrics (2011), available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2010/12/06/peds.2009-2306.full.pdf+html.

14LGBTQ Youth of Color: Disciple Disparities, School Push-Out, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline, Gay-Straight Alliance Network (August, 2018), p. 15, https://gsanetwork.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/08/LGBTQ_brief_FINAL.pdf 15 Power in Partnerships: Building Connections at the Intersections of Racial Justice and LGBTQ Movements to End the School-to-Prison Pipeline, available at https://b.3cdn.net/advancement/85066c4a18d249e72b_r23m68j37.pdf 16 U.S. Dep’t of Justice, & U.S. Dep’t of Educ., Joint “Dear Colleague” Letter (2014) available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201401-title-vi.html. Comparison to U.S. data for Black and Latino student population figures uses the same year data as the Dear Colleague letter (2011-12) using Civil Rights Data at the U.S. Dep’t of Educ: https://ocrdata.ed.gov/StateNationalEstimations/Estimations_2011_12 https://gsanetwork.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/08/LGBTQ_brief_FINAL.pdf https://b.3cdn.net/advancement/85066c4a18d249e72b_r23m68j37.pdf http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201401-title-vi.html https://ocrdata.ed.gov/StateNationalEstimations/Estimations_2011_12

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 20

b) School policies can marginalize experiences of and limit opportunities for youth who do not fit dominant gender or sexual orientation cultural norms

Cultural norms that stigmatize people with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations shape the policies that education institutions create and maintain. These policies conflict with the identities that many students hold for themselves. In a 2017 survey done by GLSEN among Oregon LGBTQ students, nearly 3 out of 5 students reported that their educational institution subjected them to at least one form of discriminatory policy or practice related to their sexual orientation or gender expression.17 Nearly 1 out of 4 Oregon LGBTQ students “were disciplined for public displays of affection that did not result in similar action for non-LGBTQ students.”18 This suggests that the adults who disciplined the students had underlying individual beliefs that are biased toward their own definition of “normal” (referred to as heteronormative, or beliefs that only “straight” couples are normal, acceptable, or preferred).

17 GLSEN. (2019). School Climate in Oregon (State Snapshot). New York: GLSEN.

18 Ibid.

“MY FRESHMEN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL I WAS FACING SUSPENSION AND POSSIBLE

EXPULSION after I was accused of having sex—with the only other openly gay boy at my school—in my school’s restroom. The accusation was completely false, but before my school administrators even investigated, my parents were called, I was outed to an individual in my household, I was pulled out of class for an entire day during state testing, and I was punished with three weeks of Saturday school. After the investigation was completed, administrators found that it was all made up by a homophobic student, who was not even present for the day he claimed to have witnessed the incident. I did not receive an apology from my school’s administration; it was all dropped, and the student who made the false accusations was not held accountable. Yet I had already been wrongfully punished, I no longer felt safe at school, and I did not trust my school administrators. Additionally, I had a difficult time making up the work and tests that I missed because of the time I spent in the school’s office.”

-Mario Vasquez as quoted in Power in Partnerships: Building Connections at the Intersections of Racial Justice and LGBTQ Movements to End the School-to-Prison Pipeline, p.91.

“Kids with learning disabilities shouldn’t be labeled a problem child.”

“Jokes about mental illness or disability such as ‘you’re so OCD’ or ‘you’re so autistic’

[make me feel unsafe].”

https://b.3cdn.net/advancement/85066c4a18d249e72b_r23m68j37.pdf https://b.3cdn.net/advancement/85066c4a18d249e72b_r23m68j37.pdf

June 2020 – Revised February 2022 21

Figure D details the percentages of Oregon LGBTQ2SIA+ students that were discriminated against in a number of day-to-day experiences. Overall, 1 in 3 LGBTQ2SIA+ students reported being able to use a restroom aligned with their gender identity and nearly as many were prevented from using their chosen name or pronouns in school.19

Figure D

Source: GLSEN. (2019). School Climate in Oregon (State Snapshot). New York: GLSEN.

The day-to-day experiences of discrimination, bias, and erasure that many LGBTQ2SIA+ students face creates conditions that challenges their wellbeing and academic success. Comparing student achievement of LGBTQ2SIA+ students to non-LGBTQ2SIA+ students is challenging because the demographic data collected at the student level limits the ability to correlate sexual orientation to individual school achievement. However, the Oregon Department of Education is one of just two state agencies that has recently developed data collection protocols to allow students with gender expansive identities to select a non-binary option among gender categories. Using this data, when compared across gender identity, students who are non-binary have lower rates of graduation and regular school attendance compared to male and female students. As shown in Figure E, in the 2018-19 cohort of high school graduates, 65% of non-binary students graduated within 4 years compared to 83% of female students and 77% of male students.20 Similar trends exist regarding attendance patterns, illustrating that non-binary students are less likely to attend school regularly. Taken in the context of the research and youth engagement, these data demonstrate the outcome of many day-to-day acts of bias and exclusion that occur in schools.

19 Ibid.

20 Oregon Department of Education Data for 2018-19 4-year cohort graduation rates, provided on 5/14/20.

Attendance data is also for the 2018-19 school year.

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Forming or Promoting a Gay-Straight Alliance/Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA)

Discussing LGBTQ Issues in Assignments

Wearing Clothing Considered By School as Inappropriate for Their Gender

Expressing Public Displays of Affection in School

Using their Chosen Name or Gender Pronouns

Using the Locker Room that Aligns with Gender

Using the Bathroom that Aligns with Gender

Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination in Oregon Schools…