welcoming schools

GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2021

Schools Remain Hostile for LGBTQ Students, New Study Shows

GLSEN’s latest biennial National School Climate Survey (NSCS), released today, has found few positive changes for LGBTQ students in the past two years, with 82 percent of LGBTQ students feeling unsafe at school, and almost all hearing anti-LGBTQ remarks, many from teachers and staff. What can we do about this?

GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2019

For LGBTQ Students, Hostilities Remain, Despite Increases in Support

GLSEN’s latest biennial National School Climate Survey, released yesterday, looks at the challenges that LGBTQ students face in school, the effects of a hostile climate, and the supports that can offset those effects—while also looking back at trends over two decades.

Back-to-School Resources for LGBT Parents

Back-to-school time is here, which means it’s time for my annual back-to-school resource post, a tradition I first started way back in 2006. My own son wasn’t even in school then. He’s grown and changed, and so has this list. I originally wrote a version of the below as part of one of my newspaper columns last year. I’ve revised it somewhat and hope it remains useful, whether your children are just entering school, starting a new school, or encountering new issues along their educational journey.

ABC

ABC, LGBT: Why Elementary Schools Must Teach About LGBT Families

Only two out of ten elementary school students have learned about same-sex-headed families, according to a new study commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Combine this with the fact that same-sex families with children live in 96 percent of counties in the United States, and we clearly have a failure to teach children about the world and people around them.

Washington Post Showcases Black Lesbian Families

Black LGBT families are an unfortunate rarity in the media, but the Washington Post this week showcased not one, but two, black lesbian couples with kids. Taken together, the stories show that just maybe, we are moving towards several different types of acceptance in this country.

Video: Elementary School Kids Discuss What “Gay” and “Lesbian” Mean

“What Do You Know” is a new short film from the Welcoming Schools initiative that shows children ages six to twelve (including some kids with lesbian and gay parents) discussing their experiences with the words “gay” and “lesbian.” The full 13-minute film, used in Welcoming Schools diversity trainings and playing in film festivals across the

Bias, Bullying, and Homophobia in Elementary Schools: Are Teachers Prepared?

The media has been full of stories about bullying and its damaging effects—but most stories have centered around middle-school and high-school students. Less has been said of bullying in elementary schools. A new study from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), however, shows that such bullying does exist—including bullying and teasing based on homophobia and gender-nonconformity. Those

Bullying: What We Can Do

(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column, October 13, 2010.) Children in the LGBTQ community are dying. As LGBTQ parents, we need to be on the front lines working to help them. We’ve all heard by now of the string of suicides by youth bullied because they were LGBTQ or perceived to be. Children of

New and Improved Resources for Creating Welcoming Schools

The Human Rights Campaign has launched a revamped version of its Welcoming Schools site, and it’s packed with information for parents/caregivers and educators about how to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, including LGBT ones and those with LGBT parents. The new site breaks down much of the information in HRC’s Welcoming Schools

LGBT Parenting Roundup

First, something not specific to parenting but that affects LGBT families with and without children: The Bilerico Project and many other blogs are holding a blogswarm today asking readers to contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965 and request that she move the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to a floor vote. Further details are here. One

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