Summary: Ature Review

Gay-Straight Alliance is an organization on the campus of Savannah State university. This organization is a social organization where any student of sexual orientation can come together in a nonjudgment environment and come to find understanding of each other. The equality of all students is very important to the GSA organization. Not only do the students of the LGBT community receives support from the students with the same sexual orientation as them, they also receive support from those of straight sexual orientation. GSA has also partners with different organization on campus to further help LGBT students. Organizations such as; Phi Beta Sigma, Delta Sigma Theta, etc. Along with partnering with different organization they partnered with the different departments on the campus. Office of Counseling and Disability services, and the Social Sciences department have played a big role when working with GSA. With our partnering with others it helped bring the Savannah State University community together. As whole GSA has surprised students with the different events that held during the spring semester of 2014. From their Volunteering at the Rock n Roll Race to their participation in pride, and also their very own NOH8 support events. GSA definitely made a big statement in supporting the LGBT community and making it a safe place for its students.

[The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) organization at my high school, which meets twice per month, generated a list of concerns that they shared with school administration. The focus was specifically about gender identity, the lack of support from school staff, and the daily scrutiny they face as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Through collaboration with my colleagues it was evident that there had been an increase in teacher and student referrals surrounding gender identity. The feedback from GSA clearly identified that as a school we are not meeting the needs of our LGBT students and those struggling with sexual orientation. Members of the GSA clearly feel that teachers ignore negative comments like “gay” and “faggot” when they hear them in class, that teachers may not clearly understand gender neutral language, and that our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students do not feel safe and protected in school. Students needed support advocating for their right to use a restroom, correct pronoun, etc., requiring district, community, parent, and colleague

In the documentary, Noah, an 18 year old male to female transgender, many people in school ask question about her gender over and over again. Because of the harassment, many tend to drop out from school. “Harassment and bullying lead almost one-third of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) students to drop out of high school” (T Salazar). For most of them dropping out from school means working at a lower wage. Or even worse they became homeless. Some people argue that we should create a separate school of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. However critics say that it means of “segregation or shielding the youth from the real world.” Giving a class about LGBT people in schools might be the solution, since students then will be aware of it. Education about LGBT people teaches not only students, but also the whole generation. Therefore, schools should be the primary targets to teach the society about LGBT

School psychologists must help create and foster an environment that educates administrators, teachers, and non LGBT students. Many lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender youth do not feel safe in school. Sexual minority students may suffer harassment (verbal and/or physical) from teachers and peers. As a result, they may experience more absences than heterosexual students. In addition, LGBT youth may turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of coping with the stressful school environment (Patterson 2013, p.192). Many will contemplate or even commit suicide.

Education is an important factor in life in order to thrive, but LGBT students face harassment in school due to their identity. According to a Human Rights report conducted in 2001, two million American students in the LGBT

Supported by my high school principle, I researched the topic, created and presented a multimedia workshop to the Roslyn School District faculty discussing positive interventions for LGBTQ youth facing discrimination. The purpose of the training was to increase awareness of LGBTQ youth, to identify language that supports inclusion, and to offer interventions that address bias and discrimination in school settings.

Most LGBT youth become happy with who they are which gives them room to thrive during their adolescent years. Attending a school that has a safe and comfortable environment for every student is especially important. Positive environments can help all youth achieve good grades and maintain good mental and physical health. However, some youths are more likely than their straight peers to experience bad health and life outcomes. Experiences with violence, compared to other students, come easy to LGBT individuals that can cause increased risks for unfortunate circumstances.‘Violence’ includes behaviors such as teasing, harassment, and physical assault. It is important that students at risk have access to resources and support to deal with any questions or challenges they may have or face as they mature. Surveyed LGBT students reported 10% were threatened or injured, 34% were bullied, and 28% were bullied electronically.

Table 1: Gay-Straight Alliances by Urban/Rural Setting: The report convoys percentages where GSA are located whether in Rural 2.0%, Town 2.3%, Suburban 12.1% and Urban at 11.6% (Fetner & Kush, 2008). Schools in more populated areas are more likely to adapted rural areas (Fetner & Kush, 2008).

Students who identify as members of the LGBTQ2-S community may experience academic, social, and emotional challenges, both within and outside of the walls of school (Harrison & Thomas, 2014). Therefore, as a school psychologist and advocate for students, one should promote for “changes in policies through brief conversations and suggestions with teachers, staff, and administrators; this process may be effective in shaping the school climate toward acceptance of LGBT youth” (Heck, Flentje, & Cochran, 2011, pp. 169-170). However, for a school psychologist to be successful in doing so, one must strive to be culturally competent. It is for that reason, that a school psychologist must

For several years, Rockingham County High School students have been on a mission to create a GSA club or Gay-Straight Alliance club organization. Unfortunately, GSAs are not as prevalent as other club organizations in a high school setting. There is huge controversy between the varying opinions of students at my school that say GSA goes against their religion or personal values. As an active supporter of the LGBTQI community I always pushed forward the idea of a GSA club. It was not until the beginning of senior year, I found myself questioning my own sexuality, but I did not truly understand what was going on. The amount of confusion and stress that consumed me made me hide it from all of those I loved. Everyday I was in denial and kept telling

But why wasn’t there many straight students in there? Most likely it was because they would be thought of as weird if they did. But hundreds of students say they are LGBT Pro but don’t even talked to them in public because they are afraid of being judged. That's why they made GSA so that they can freely talk to LGBT students without getting judged. That’s to show, people do say that they support LGBT people but they really mean it. I feel that people need to consider that LGBT students and people want to talk to straight students and people normally without them even thinking that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. It makes me saddened that students don’t go to GSA if they really support LGBT students, they should really jump into the classroom because not only will you find a lively and whimsical club, but you will also learn many important information on LGBT

I was bullied relentlessly, and called gay, by kids at recess during middle school. The funny thing is, I didn’t even know what gay meant. I always felt like I was an oddity. I never played sports with the others boys but I loved to play House and Teacher with the girls. While the boys were reading Hardy Boys, there I was, reading Nancy Drew. I now know I was not alone in feeling alienated growing up. A study of gay individuals during their coming out process was done in April of 2015 and all of the participants felt that it was expected of them to be heterosexual, which led to feeling “misplaced among peers in school” (Perrin-Wallqvist & Lindblom 472). Unfortunately, I never had the resources to know I was not alone growing up. It was a long

Many teens also feel less accepted by the world when it comes to other kids in their school. Students that do not support others orientation creates a discomforting environment. “Unsafe school environments prevent LGBT students from reaching their full academic potential” (Slater). The children have to feel heard or they will fall into a depression and will shut out everyone that cares about them. Therefore, “safe spaces for LGBT students” (“LGBT Youth”) Which will allow kids to have a safe

Generation Z is being hailed as the true “WE Generation”. Social media has allowed them to connect and organize in ways previous generations couldn’t, creating a youth culture focused on equality and social change. However, this focus on equality doesn’t always extend to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community. While Gen Z enjoys following stories about gay rights, they aren’t particularly interested in the issues facing the LGBT community (Seemiller & Grace, 2016, p. 132). Heterosexual youth simply aren’t aware of how dangerous it is to be gay or transgender in America, and believe that supporting marriage equality is the paramount of acceptance (Seemiller & Grace, 2016, p. 116). LGBT youth are still struggling with peer victimization and the resulting mental health issues due to the ignorance society, and Gen Z, holds towards gay rights.

Dr. Stephen T. Russell is the Priscilla Pond Flawn Regends Professor in Child Development in the University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences. Among Russell’s other credentials, he is an expert on LGBTQ youth with a concentration in their health and rights (personal communication, September 22, 2017). He presented at the University of Virginia Curry School of Education on his research pertaining to LGBTQ youth health and resilience on September 22, 2017. This talk was sponsored by Youth-Nex, which is a center at the Curry School of Education that works to promote effective youth development (“About Youth-Nex,” 2017), and the University of Virginia Department of Women, Gender, and