How Policy Shapes the Development of LGBTQ Youth and Young Adults

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

LGBTQ+ youth and young adults face unique developmental challenges shaped not only by interpersonal experiences of stigma and discrimination, but also by the institutional and policy environments around them. This panel, collectively, examines how state and federal policies, and the educational environments they may produce, shape the health, behavior, and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults across the United States. 

The first two papers address policies that directly shape the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Paper 1 investigates whether state-level bans on conversion therapy affect mental health disparities and suicidality among high-school-aged LGBTQ+ youth. Using Youth Behavioral Risk Factor Survey data and mortality records from the National Vital Statistics System, Paper 1 exploits variation in the adoption and timing of state-level conversion therapy bans to estimate the causal effects of bans. As the recent Supreme Court ruling in Chiles v. Salazar introduces new policy uncertainty in the landscape of state-level bans on conversion therapy, this paper provides timely population-level evidence on the potential consequences of rolling back these bans. Paper 2 examines changes in smoking inequalities among US young adults following the 2019 federal Tobacco 21 (T21) policy, which raised the minimum legal sales age for tobacco to 21. Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 2017-2023, this study finds that while smoking declined across all subgroups, T21 implementation was not associated with relative reductions in smoking disparities by sexual minority identity or sex. These findings underscore the importance of targeted prevention and cessation policies. 

The next two papers turn to the educational contexts that shape the experiences of marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ youth. Paper 3 moves inside the classroom to ask how public and religious private school textbooks differ in the values, representations, and topics they convey. Analyzing 261 textbooks using natural language processing and computer vision, Paper 3 finds that religious-school textbooks contain substantially less female representation and treat topics like religion and evolution differently, while all collections, regardless of school type, rarely discuss LGBTQIA+ topics. These findings highlight how the foundational materials children learn from can systematically exclude or marginalize LGBTQ+ identities, with potential consequences for youth wellbeing and social belonging. Paper 4 takes a macro-level view, mapping how state partisan lean predicts the balance of expansive versus restrictive education policies across all states. This study’s GIS analysis reveals that more Democratic states cluster along the coasts with more identity-affirming policy environments, while more Republican states adopt restrictive policies, producing meaningful variation in the daily experiences of LGBTQ+ students and educators. By revealing how geographic disparities in student services are patterned by political context, this study offers evidence for advocates and policymakers seeking to advance more equitable educational environments for LGBTQ+ youth. 

Drawing on causal inference methods, computational text analysis, and geographic analysis, these papers provide a multidisciplinary and diverse view on how policy environments shape the developmental trajectories and compound or mitigate inequality for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults.

Policy Area

• Social Equity and Race

Chair

• Gilbert Gonzales, Vanderbilt University

Discussants

• Gilbert Gonzales, Vanderbilt University

• Hasan Shahid, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Organizer

• Kellen A. Kane, University of Texas at Austin

Individual Presentations

• Evaluating the effect of conversion therapy bans on LGBTQ+ youth mental health and suicidality outcomes - Presenting Author: Kellen A. Kane, University of Texas at Austin; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Brennan Mange, The University of Texas System

• Changes in Smoking Inequalities among U.S. Young Adults, 2017-2023 - Presenting Author: Nathaniel M Tran, University of Illinois, Chicago

• Separation of Church and State Curricula? Examining Public and Religious Private School Textbooks - Presenting Author: Emileigh Harrison, The University of Texas at Austin; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Anjali Adukia, The University of Chicago

• Mapping the Politics of US State Education Policy - Presenting Author: Lauren M Strickland, University of Delaware