Opportunities for State Leaders to Safeguard LGBTQ+ Students’ Learning, Connection, and Safety

Approximately 2 million young people identified as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and additional identities (LGBTQ+) community in 2020, and federal data from 2021 show that 1 in 4 high school students identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual or are questioning their sexual identity.[i],[ii] In recent years, education and other policy leaders across the country have engaged in fierce debate over the role of schools in supporting LGBTQ+ youth.  To support state leaders—and the communities and youth they serve—amid policy change, this guide reviews the factors that shape LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of safety and support, as well as the implications for their academic and health outcomes. Further, the guide provides state agencies with a process for understanding their state’s policy environment around LGBTQ+ topics and the supports that local education agencies (LEAs) and organizations that work with schools may need to support student learning, connection, and safety.