LGBTQ+ K-12 Students’ Experiences and Wellbeing in Rural Schools

• In Event: Out-Rooted and Rural: Research at the Intersection of Rural Education and Queer Identities

Abstract

Objective
The unique strengths and challenges of rural LGBTQ+ students remain limited in LGBTQ+ studies and rural education. The purpose of this paper is to provide a grounding overview of the literature related to LGBTQ+ K-12 students’ experiences and wellbeing in rural schools.

Theoretical framework
Drawing on models of risk and resilience, the author describes the factors that drive and reduce spatial inequities among LGBTQ+ K-12 student wellbeing.

Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry
The author used Google Scholar to search for and collect peer-reviewed journals, books, and reports from 1993 to 2023 about LGBTQ+ students’ experiences and wellbeing in rural schools. The terms utilized in the search included “rural school,” “rural community,” “LGBTQ+,” “queer,” and “transgender.” The author reviewed abstracts and subsequent reference lists of relevant works. Works included in the review either (1) drew on a sample of rural LGBTQ+ K-12 students, adolescents, or youth in the U.S.; or (2) conducted analyses across school locales (e.g., rural, suburban, and urban). Twenty-four research articles met the inclusion criteria, spanning LGBTQ+ studies, sociology, psychology, health, and education.

Data sources
This paper focuses on the findings from a review of 24 research articles from 1993 to 2023 that described LGBTQ+ K-12 students’ experiences and wellbeing in rural schools.

Results and/or substantiated conclusions
Major themes emerging from the research included: (1) LGBTQ+ students’ exposure to discrimination and access to affirming school resources, (2) resilience, advocacy, and the collective strength of rural LGBTQ+ students, and (3) the wellbeing of rural LGBTQ+ students. Overall, the current body of research suggests that rural LGBTQ+ students experience greater discrimination and fewer affirming school resources, leading to lower wellbeing than their urban and suburban peers. However, scholars also highlighted how LGBTQ+ students build collective strength and resilience in their rural schools and communities.

Scientific and scholarly significance
As many rural schools face increased political pressure to restrict LGBTQ+-affirming school resources, rural educational leaders, policymakers, and researchers need an empirical understanding of the factors that contribute to LGBTQ+ students’ wellbeing. This paper synthesizes the research literature surrounding LGBTQ+ students’ experiences and wellbeing in rural schools. The paper concludes with implications for policy and practice that leverage local rural communities’ expertise to advance LGBTQ+-affirming school reforms that can shift rural schools from marginalizing to affirming LGBTQ+ students.

Author

• Erin Gill, University of Pennsylvania