Status and well-being of LGBT+ children and adolescents in schools
Numerous studies and surveys have been conducted on the situation of LGBT+ children and adolescents in schools. It's clear that we need to improve to ensure their well-being and learning progress.
Survey on the well-being of LGBT+ youth
In 2017, GLSEN, Samtökin '78 — The National Queer Organization of Iceland, and the University of Iceland's School of Education conducted a survey about the well-being of LGBT+ youth in Icelandic school environments. The survey included LGBT+ students aged 13-20 years, and inquired about feelings of safety in school, prejudiced language use, harassment and violence, the impact of the environment on attendance and academic success, the support of staff, school policies, and curriculum.
The results indicated that LGBT+ students feel significantly less safe at school and face a higher risk of harassment and violence than their peers. The data also demonstrated that supportive educators profoundly improve how LGBT+ students experience school.
It's clear that attitudes, knowledge, policy and teaching methods of teachers and other school staff make a big difference when it comes to the well-being of LGBT+ youth in the school environment.
Role of schools
The 2014 handbook Child Abuse: The Role of Schools emphasizes that LGBT+ students need dedicated support. Silence remains one of the most common forms of prejudice directed at LGBT+ students. Even when that silence breaks, conversations tend to focus strictly on gay and lesbian individuals, rarely offering meaningful attention to other groups within the LGBT+ community.
How does an LGBT+ child know that you are supportive?
Because LGBT+ students face a disproportionate risk of harassment and violence simply for being LGBT+, many develop dysphoria and avoid openly discussing their identities out of fear of prejudice and bullying. It is therefore vital to create a setting where LGBT+ students feel supported by engaged staff, and where prejudiced language and bullying directed at them are actively challenged.
Like anyone else, LGBT+ students cannot inherently know if a school and its staff are LGBT+ friendly. It is therefore up to teachers and other personnel to make their supportive attitudes visible and widely known, allowing students to feel safe being themselves.
It is also worth asking: "How does an LGBT+ student know they are welcome and that this is a supportive environment?"