Creating and Maintaining Safe and Responsive Schools for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youths: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

Children and adolescents spend a great deal of their time in schools. As microcosms of the larger society in which they are embedded, schools recreate and enforce the heterosexist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic characteristics of the larger culture. Those students with emerging or declared lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) identities are, thus, particularly vulnerable to the impact of heterosexist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic attitudes and the potential resulting violence present in the school setting. Therefore, it is imperative school personnel, including administrators, teachers, school psychologists, and school counselors, among others, become aware of how anti-LGBTQ bias and discrimination are present in schools and what they can do to create and maintain safe and responsive schools for LGBTQ youths. In this introduction to the special issue, some of the challenges faced by LGTBQ youths in schools are outlined and the theme of each article is highlighted.