"In the midst of that experience, however, we felt a glimmer of hope as we witnessed another local school district host a collaborative forum to make policy changes that would ensure every student felt safe at school. They reached out to parents with students who were victims of bullying, and school district officials set out to listen, learn, and make positive change."
"And yet, none of the voices on the panel for this policy forum included LGBTQ+ students or their families. The most recent GLSEN School Climate Survey reports that 8 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth experience bullying or harassment at school. And for years, students across the country took the CDC's Youth-Risk Behavior Survey and taught us that LGBTQ+ students are more than twice as likely to experience school bullying as their straight peers.There were critical voices missing from this conversation."
A West Texas family encountered an unwelcoming school environment and removed a teenage child from public school because of bullying. Another local district convened a collaborative forum, reached out to parents of bullied students, and pursued policy changes to make schools safer. The forum excluded LGBTQ+ students and families despite GLSEN data showing eight in ten LGBTQ+ youth face bullying and CDC findings that LGBTQ+ students are more than twice as likely to be bullied. PFLAG families and allies intervened, influenced policymaking, and built relationships with board members to help navigate laws targeting transgender youth. Allies should proactively participate when affected voices are absent.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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