The School-Based Peer Context of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: International and U.S. Perspectives

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

In the literature on sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth development, there has been limited focus on the peer context of their schools, and in the school-based peer relationships literature, there has been limited attention paid to the experiences of SGM youth. In this symposium, we present three papers that focus on this growing area of scholarship. In a sample of 280 diverse 6th-grade students from a school in the Southwestern U.S., Paper 1 investigated the characteristics and experiences of adolescents who engage in bullying gender nonconforming youth, showing that experiences of homophobic name-calling at Time 1 predicted and increased likelihood of bullying gender nonconforming victims at Time 2. In addition, the authors found that for boys, higher levels of gender conformity at Time 1 predicted an increased likelihood of bullying gender nonconforming youth at Time 2. Among 272 gender minority youth in Paraná, Brazil, Paper 2 found an association between more positive perceptions of student-student relationships, as a dimension of school climate, and youth’s own prosocial behaviors. Paper 3 proposed a conceptual model detailing the role of school social networks and social norms in SGM youth mental health and reviewed the relevant literature in support of this model. Dr. Paul Poteat, an expert in the school experiences of SGM youth and bias-based harassment, will serve as the discussant. Together, this symposium will illustrate the risks and potential of the school-based peer context for SGM youth.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chair

• Sarah Rosenbach, New York University

Discussant

• Paul Poteat, Boston College

Individual Presentations

• Who Engages in Gender Bullying: The Role of Homophobic Name-Calling, Gender Pressure, and Gender Conformity - Presenting Author: Salvatore Ioverno, Ghent University; Non-Presenting Author: Dawn DeLay, Arizona State University; Non-Presenting Author: Carol Lynn Martin, Arizona State University; Non-Presenting Author: Laura D Hanish, Arizona State University

• Prosocial Behavior Among Gender Minority Students: The Role of School Climate - Presenting Author: Alexa Martin-Storey, Universite de Sherbrooke; Non-Presenting Author: Jonathan Bruce Santo, University of Nebraska - Omaha; Non-Presenting Author: Josafá M. Da Cunha, Federal University of Parana

• The Role of School Social Networks and Norms in Mental Health Disparities Among SGM Youth - Presenting Author: Sarah Rosenbach, New York University; Non-Presenting Author: Hirokazu Yoshikawa, New York University; Non-Presenting Author: Elise Cappella, New York University