This is Jennifer Gonzalez welcoming you to episode 82 of the Cult of Pedagogy Podcast.

In this episode, we're going to talk about how teachers can make school a safe place for

LGBTQ students.

Depending on where you live, you might think we've reached a point where society has truly

embraced people of all gender and sexual identities, making the topic of LGBTQ rights kind

of a non-issue.

The truth is, for many LGBTQ students, discrimination and harassment are still a daily reality, and

school is one of the main places where they experience these things.

A 2015 National School Climate Study conducted by GLSEN, an organization focused on ensuring

safe and affirming schools for LGBTQ students, found that over 85% of these students have

experienced verbal harassment, and 66% have been discriminated against based on their sexual

orientation or gender identity.

As a result of feeling more isolated and unsafe, many of these students miss school, avoid

bathrooms, and stay away from locker rooms.

Students who experience more victimization are also more likely to have lower GPAs and

to report feeling depressed.

And it's not just other students who create this hostile climate for their LGBTQ peers.

Over half of the more than 10,000 students surveyed, reported hearing biased remarks from

school staff, and school staff often fail to intervene when they hear these remarks at school.

The good news is that overall the number of students who report being harassed or discriminated

against is declining.

The climate is improving across the board, but for many students it's not happening fast enough.

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