School Supports, Community Context, and the Educational Experiences of LGBTQ Youth

• In Event: 4451 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 7: Discrimination and Social Reproduction

Abstract

Research demonstrates that LGBTQ youth have, on average, lower levels of well-being and educational success as a result of stigma and discrimination they face in and out of school. Linking existing individual-level survey data from a national sample of LGBTQ youth about their school experiences, educational outcomes, and well-being to community-level contextual data from secondary sources (using school identifiers), we examine how LGBTQ youth’s perception of safety at school and school absences are associated with the presence of school supports (such as Gender and Sexuality Alliances or similar clubs) and community characteristics (including urbanicity and levels of whiteness, poverty, and education in the school district). Preliminary findings suggest that LGBTQ students are less likely to feel unsafe or miss school when a GSA is present, and LGBTQ students are less likely to have access to a GSA in rural districts and those with populations that are more white, more impoverished, and less educated. In addition, having access to a GSA is positively associated with feeling safe and negatively associated with missing school regardless of community characteristics. Future analyses will consider other school supports (such as the presence of supportive educators or inclusive curriculum) and other aspects of LGBTQ youth’s school experiences.

Authors

• Jennifer Pearson, Wichita State University

• Lindsey Wilkinson, Portland State University