Responsive School Practices to Support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Students and Families

Emily S. Fisher, Kelly S. Kennedy

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9781136813337
• Subtopic: Education General
• Index: Psychology

The needs and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students and families are often ignored, generally misunderstood, and only rarely given priority by the school system. This book provides a practical and useful guide for school-based mental health professionals to support students, families, teachers, and administrators in the development of a safe, inclusive school environment for all LGBTQ students and families. It begins with an overview of the unique issues and challenges faced by LGBTQ students and families, including a discussion of sexuality and gender identity development within the interconnected contexts of home, school, and community. Practical steps are given for creating an inclusive school environment; implementing prevention and intervention techniques to address discrimination, bullying, and violence; and organizing effective counseling programs for LGBTQ students. These school-based efforts are then extended to working with families and communities to reinforce steps taken in the school context. The downloadable resources include numerous handouts, sample letters, and other resources to assist the school-based mental health professional in implementing responsive and affirmative practices for LGBTQ students and families.

One
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Students and Families

The unique needs and school experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students have been long recognized by researchers. However, it is only within the last few years that the plight of this minority group has received more widespread public attention, with media coverage of devastating events (i.e., suicide and homicide) raising the alarm for many educators and advocacy groups. Along with these tragedies, there has been an overall increase in the visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ individuals in the media and increased attention to divisive political battles over equal rights issues (e.g., gay marriage). In fact, it can be difficult to keep up with the continual shifts between acceptance and controversy that characterize society’s stance toward the LGBTQ community, but this much is clear: LGBTQ issues are gaining a powerful momentum, and educators need to get on board in recognizing and responding to the needs of LGBTQ students and families.

Terminology

There is no one right way to refer to LGBTQ individuals (although there are plenty of wrong ways), and the primary idea is to use respectful and inclusive language. Throughout this book, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) refer to an individual’s sexual orientation (physical and emotional attractions), transgender (T) refers to an individual’s gender identity (or sense of self as a boy or girl), and questioning (Q) refers to an individual who is not yet sure how he or she identifies. As a whole, this group can be referred to as a sexual (LGB) and gender (T) minority. Iterations of these terms/acronyms are used throughout the literature, sometimes with other variations included (e.g., “I” is sometimes added to include intersex). More information on sexual orientation and gender identity can be found in Chapter 2. In this book, the acronym LGBTQ will be used except when research is clearly focused on certain sub-groups (e.g., LG or LGB).

LGBTQ Students

LGBTQ students experience alarmingly high rates of harassment, bullying, and discrimination at school based on their sexual orientation or gender identity (Birkett, Espelage, & Koenig, 2009; Crothers, 2007; Kosciw, Greytak, Diaz, & Bartkiewicz, 2010). Added to the normal tumultuousness of adolescence, these experiences can lead to a number of problematic outcomes, such as higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and suicide (Espelage, Aragon, Birkett, & Koenig, 2008; Kosciw et al., 2010). Similarly, the impact of a hostile school climate where LGBTQ students feel unsupported and unprotected can lead to poorer school outcomes, such as skipping school, earning lower grades, and reporting fewer educational aspirations (Birkett et al., 2009; Kosciw et al., 2010). More information about school factors in the lives of LGBTQ students can be found in Chapter 3, along with information about home and community influences. The CD contains a facts sheet on LGBTQ students in schools and other contexts (with materials for Chapter 3).

LGBTQ Parents and Their Children

Parental involvement is seen as critical to students’ success, and parents who identify as LGBTQ are highly involved in their children’s schooling (Kosciw & Diaz, 2008). However, some parents can feel marginalized by the school system, hearing anti-LGBTQ language at school, failing to have their family structure recognized during classroom activities, and not feeling welcomed by teachers and other school staff (Kosciw & Diaz, 2008). Similarly, children from LGBTQ-parented families often hear negative comments about LGBTQ individuals from other students and school staff, get teased because of their parents’ or their own sexual orientation or gender identity (actual as well as perceived), and fail to have their families fully recognized as valid and valuable (Kosciw & Diaz, 2008). The experiences of LGBTQ parents and their children can be found in Chapter 9, along with information about how schools can be more welcoming and responsive to them. A fact sheet on LGBTQ parents and their children is on the accompanying CD (with materials for Chapter 9).

Developing Responsive School Practices

The bad news is that schools often fail to be inclusive and supportive places for LGBTQ students and families. Fortunately, there is a lot that school personnel can do to change this. Taking steps to create a supportive climate that fosters academic, social, and emotional development for LGBTQ students and families requires knowledge and a commitment to action. Accurate information about sexuality and gender identity development (addressed in Chapter 2) and the various factors that impact LGBTQ youth in home, school, and community contexts (Chapter 3) provide the groundwork for understanding and responding to this diverse group. School personnel can be more responsive and inclusive of LGBTQ students and parents by putting foundational policies in place (addressed in Chapter 4), improving school climate by responding to and preventing bullying and harassment (addressed in Chapter 7), providing professional development for teachers (addressed in Chapter 5), promoting sensitivity and appreciation for diversity among students (addressed in Chapter 5), improving classroom climate (addressed in Chapter 6), integrating LGBTQ issues into classroom curriculum (addressed in Chapter 6), providing mental health support services (addressed in Chapter 8), supporting families (addressed in Chapters 9 and 10), and connecting with community resources (addressed in Chapter 11). Change is not easy, but sometimes all it takes is one person who can envision a world where this book is obsolete.

Case Studies

Throughout this book, four case studies will be used to illustrate principles and practices. The complete case studies, with information from the appropriate chapters, are on the accompanying CD.

Sarah

Sarah is an eighth-grade student attending a large, racially and ethnically diverse, progressive middle school in New York City. Sarah has always earned good grades and is very active in extracurricular activities. Sarah is well liked by her peers and teachers. Sarah is biracial—her father is Caucasian and her mother is African American. About six months ago, Sarah started telling people that she is bisexual. This has not seemed to affect her peer relations, as Sarah was recently elected vice-president of her class. Sarah’s parents, who consider themselves liberal, have met with Sarah’s school counselor, Mr. Martin, to discuss Sarah’s disclosure of her sexuality. They confided in him that they think this might just be a phase Sarah is going through, and they are confused by Sarah’s revelation of being bisexual, because, as far as they know, she has not had any sexual contact with boys or girls. They are concerned that she is not considering the long-term ramifications of telling people she is bisexual because it is really a private matter and she might change her mind in the future.

More on Sarah can be found in Chapters 2, 6, 10, and 11.

Javier

Javier is a twelfth grade student attending a large high school in Dallas, Texas. Javier is a first generation Mexican American, as are most students in his school. Javier is an average student who plans on attending community college when he graduates. Javier’s mother recently discovered text messages with sexual content between Javier and another boy (who does not attend Javier’s high school). When she confronted Javier, he told her that he thinks he is gay. Javier’s mother broke down crying and begged Javier not to tell anyone else about this. She told him that he would tear the family apart if he acted on these feelings. The following day, she talked to the school social worker, Mrs. Santos, to tell her what happened and to ask her to talk to Javier about not being gay.

More on Javier can be found in Chapters 8, 10, and 11.

Sydney

Sydney is a second grade student new to her school this year. Her school is in a small town located in the outskirts of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On the first day of school, Sydney’s father, Mr. Green, brought the school psychologist paperwork from the previous school indicating an assessment plan had been signed at the end of the year to test Sydney for speech and language issues. The school psychologist asked Mr. Green to come in for a meeting to get more information about Sydney. At the start of the meeting, the school psychologist asked about Sydney’s background, and her father was forthcoming about Sydney being adopted from China, that language delays were present since Kindergarten, and that her other developmental milestones had been met on time. The school psychologist noticed that Mr. Green became more reserved when he began asking about Sydney’s home life. After several of his questions were met with minimal responses, he began asking more about Sydney’s academic development and peer relationships. At the end of the meeting, they made plans to proceed with the assessment. Two weeks later, the school psychologist was called to the school office. Sydney had a headache and asked to call her father to come pick her up. The man who arrived was not recognized by the school staff and was not listed on Sydney’s emergency card, but he was insisting he was Sydney’s father. The school psychologist took Sydney into his office to ask her about the man who came to school. Sydney got very upset and confessed that she had “called the wrong dad” by mistake. When asked more about this, it became clear that Sydney lived with two dads at home, but was only supposed to talk about one of them at school.

More on Sydney can be found in Chapters 4, 6, and 9.

Jessie

Jessie is finishing eighth grade in a few weeks and will be starting ninth grade in a couple of months at a high school in Fresno, California. Jessie’s parents have requested a meeting with the high school principal to discuss their expectations for how Jessie will be treated in high school. Jessie was born a boy but, since early childhood, he has identified as a girl. Over the last two years, Jessie, with the support of her parents, has begun living her life as a girl. This transition was met with a great deal of resistance in middle school. In addition to Jessie being harassed and bullied by her peers, one of Jessie’s teachers told her that she was bringing the bullying on herself and she should just “act like a boy” if she wanted it to stop. Jessie’s parents tried to work with the middle school administration, but they felt that their concerns were not adequately addressed and Jessie was not safe at school. They pulled Jessie out of school to homeschool her for the last half of eighth grade. Having heard about all the problems from the middle school principal, including pending litigation against the school, the high school principal requests that the school psychologist be present for the meeting and Jessie’s parents agree to this. At the meeting, Jessie’s parents want the school to develop a plan for how they are going to ensure that Jessie is integrated into the school community, that she is treated with respect and dignity by school staff and peers, and that she feels safe to “just be herself” at school.

More on Jessie can be found in Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 8.

Two
Development of Sexuality and Gender Identity

The concepts of sex and gender are complexly intertwined. Some define sex as a biological construct that categorizes an individual as male or female (e.g., chromosomes and genitalia) and gender as a social construct related to the expression of masculine or feminine characteristics (e.g., hair style and type of clothing). However, as more becomes known about sex and gender, such as variations in the typical male/female sex dichotomy, the distinctions between the two become murky. Instead of thinking of sex and gender as distinct constructs, one might see them as interrelated, continually affecting and interacting with one another as an individual develops from the time of conception through old age.

Brief Overview of Sexual Development

From birth, humans are sexual beings (DeLamater & Friedrich, 2002; Pluhar, 2009). During infancy and early childhood (approximately birth to 6 years), children display a natural curiosity about their bodies and the bodies of others. This often takes the form of touching or rubbing of the genitals, wanting to see other people’s bodies, mimicking adult behaviors such as kissing or holding hands, and asking questions about bodies and bodily functions (DeLamater & Friedrich, 2002; Hornor, 2004; “Sexual Development and Behavior in Children,” 2009). Children of this age generally have an openness with their bodies and feel comfortable being naked around others (“Sexual Development and Behavior in Children,” 2009).

School-aged children (approximately 6–12 years) generally become increasingly modest with their bodies and want more privacy (“Sexual Development and Behavior in Children,” 2009). They are more likely to engage in purposeful masturbation (usually in private), to include sexual content in their conversations and games with peers (e.g., Truth or Dare), and to be interested in pictures, television shows, and movies that show naked or partially naked people (“Sexual Development and Behavior in Children,” 2009). Because children at this age socialize most frequently with same-sex peers, sexual exploration and learning at this age generally takes place within these groups (DeLamater & Friedrich, 2002). It is during this time that children generally experience their first sexual attraction and first sexual fantasies (Savin-Williams, 2005).

Puberty brings a host of physical changes, such as increases in sex hormones, genital maturation, and sexual interest (DeLamater & Friedrich, 2002), accompanied by psychological and emotional changes (Wolfe & Mash, 2006). There is quite a wide range of ages in which puberty begins, with girls typically starting earlier than boys (from 8–13 years old for girls; 9.5–14.5 years old for boys) (Noland, 2006). Timing of onset of puberty may impact boys and girls somewhat differently. For example, in boys and girls, early onset of puberty has been associated with increased r...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Series Editors’ Foreword
• Chapter 1 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Students and Families
• Chapter 2 Development of Sexuality and Gender Identity
• Chapter 3 LGBTQ Students in Home, School, and Community Contexts
• Chapter 4 Law and Policy in Action
• Chapter 5 Developing Awareness and Sensitivity: LGBTQ Issues in the School Community
• Chapter 6 Creating Diverse and Responsive Classrooms
• Chapter 7 Ensuring Safe Schools: Preventing Harassment and Bullying
• Chapter 8 Counseling LGBTQ Students
• Chapter 9 Supporting LGBTQ Parents and Their Children
• Chapter 10 Supporting Families of LGBTQ Students
• Chapter 11 Accessing Community Resources
• References
• Index
• CD Contents