This is a basic introductory presentation on the state of GLBTQ youth issues and the work that the Center does

1. GLBTQ Youth Issues Rachel Prevatt, Coordinator Center for Research Training and Consultation on GLBTQ Youth Issues Central Michigan University

2. Terminology Sexual Orientation: A person’s physical or sexual attraction to someone of the same or opposite gender. (Use orientation rather than sexual preference). Sexual Behavior: What a person does sexually and with whom. Sexual behavior is not always an accurate indicator of sexual orientation. Some teenagers (18% boys, 6% girls) report experimenting with same-sex sexual acts, but do not self-identify as gay or lesbian. Similarly, some adults engage in same-sex sexual acts but do not self-identify as gay.

3. Terminology(continued) Alfred Kinsey, and further research, showed that Sexual Orientation is a Continuum Rather than a Dichotomy, Ranging from Exclusively Heterosexual, to Bisexual, to Exclusively Homosexual

4. Terminology(continued) Heterosexual: Someone who is physically or sexually attracted to partners of the opposite gender, also referred to as straight. Homosexual: Someone who is physically or sexually attracted to partners of the same gender. Homosexual has been used in marginalizing ways, so other terms are more appropriate. Lesbian: A woman who is physically or sexually attracted to other women. Gay: Commonly used to describe men who are physically or sexually attracted to other men. The term gay can be used to refer to both men and women or, more generally, to the gay community. Bisexual : Someone who is physically and sexually attracted to partners of the both genders.

5. Terminology(continued) Queer: An umbrella term seeks to encompass a broad range of sexual identities, behaviors, and expressions* GLBTQ = Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning SMY = sexual minority youth *When trying to refer appropriately to gay, lesbian, bisexual ,or transgender persons, remember that the way that certain words are used is fluid, evolving, and context-dependent.

6. Terminology(continued) Masculinity/ Femininity: Expectations for behavior and appearance based on gender. Gender role expectations vary across cultures. Gays and lesbians can not be identified by appearance. There are effeminate and masculine gay men, effeminate and masculine lesbians, and heterosexuals who defy gender stereotypes. Gender Identity: A person’s deepest, inner sense of being male or female. Most individuals, including gays and lesbians, have a gender identity consistent with their biological sex. Most gay men self-identify as men; most lesbians self-identify as female. Gays and lesbians typically do not wish to be members of the opposite sex.

7. Terminology(continued) Biological Sex: The sum of the biological (chromosomal, hormonal, and anatomical) factors that make one male, female, or intersex. Terms include male, female, and intersex. Intersex: Intersex refers to people who are born with atypical or ambiguous genitalia. An older term, “hermaphrodite,” is now considered inappropriate. Transgender : an umbrella term used for persons with gender non-conforming identities and persons who present themselves in gender non-conforming ways. (Transgender persons may be heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual.) Transsexual: Transgenderedpersonswho take actions to present themselves in ways consistent with their gender identity. (e.g. by having surgery, taking hormones, and/or living as the opposite gender)

8. TerminologyQuestions?

9. Why GLBTQ Youth Issues? Center for Research, Training, and Consultation for GLBTQ Youth Issues at Central Michigan University Vision: All GLBTQ youth and young adults can live, attend school, and develop their identity in safe and inclusive environments. Mission: It is our mission to promote resilience and healthy outcomes among GLBTQ youth and promote awareness through research, training, and consultation.

10. Prevalence Same-sex sexual behaviors have been found in every human society studied. Various researchers have defined homosexuality in terms of same-sex sexual behavior or attraction and/or self-identification as gay or lesbian. Sexual behavior and self-identification may change across the lifespan.

11. Prevalence Results of data collected over a 4-year period indicated that 5.3% of high school students surveyed reported same-sex sexual contact, a gay or lesbian identity, or both. Estimates of the number of gay, lesbian, or bisexual adults range from about 3% to 10%.

12. Identity Formation Many sexual minority youth report “feeling different” from other children, often as early as the preschool years. First stage in sexual identity formation among SMY is confusion. Second stage is awareness. Boys: awareness of sexual orientation occurs around age 9 years; first experience age 13. Girls: awareness at about age 10, first experience age 16. Third stage is acceptance. Self-identification as gay or lesbian generally occurs at about age 16, with a wide range of individual variation.

13. “Coming Out” “Coming Out” is the on-going process of acknowledging one’s identity as lesbian, gay, or bisexual Research finds that GLB people who start the “coming out” process earlier show greater comfort with their sexual orientation, while people who start “coming out” later in life and have less involvement in GLB social groups show lower comfort with their sexual orientation. However, this does not mean GLB persons should be encouraged to “come out” early. Many gay, lesbian, and bisexual students “come out” during high school and, in addition to environmental risks in their home and community, must contend with risks in the school environment

14. Risks for GLBTQ Youth The Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS) is conducted every two years by the Massachusetts Department of Education with funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey monitors behaviors of high school students that are related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among youth and adults in the United States. The 2007 MYRBS was conducted in 59 randomly elected public high schools. In total, 3131 students in grades 9 - 12 participated in this voluntary and anonymous survey. Because of the high student and school response rates, the results of this survey can be generalized to apply to public high school students across Massachusetts.

15. Risks for GLBTQ Youth The 2007 MYRBS found: 5.4 percent of students surveyed described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. 9.2 percent of all students described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual and/or reported same-sex sexual contact. Students who described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual were significantly more likely than their peers to report attacks, suicide attempts and drug and alcohol use. When compared to peers, this group was: over four times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year over three times more likely to miss school in the past month because of feeling unsafe over four times more likely to have been injured or threatened with a weapon at school 2 times more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. At greater risk for pregnancy and contracting STDs or HIV/AIDS.

17. Risks for GLBTQ Youth 2007 National School Climate Survey Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) used two methods to locate survey participants in an effort to obtain a representative national sample of LGBT youth: outreach through community-based groups serving LGBT youth and outreach via the Internet. The sample consisted of a total of 6,209 LGBT K-12 students, from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, between the ages of 13 and 21. About two-thirds of the sample (64.4%) was white, over half (57.7%) was female and over half identified as gay or lesbian (53.6%). Students were in grades 6 to 12, with the largest numbers being in 10th or 11th grade.

18. Risks for GLBTQ Youth Key Findings of the 2007 National School Climate Survey include: 86.2% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed 44.1% reported being physically harassed and 22.1% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation. 73.6% heard derogatory remarks such as "faggot" or "dyke" frequently or often at school. More than half (60.8%) of students reported that they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation, and more than a third (38.4%) felt unsafe because of their gender expression.

19. Risks for GLBTQ Youth Key Findings of the 2007 National School Climate Survey include (continued): 31.7% of LGBT students missed a class and 32.7% missed a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe, compared to only 5.5% and 4.5%, respectively, of a national sample of secondary school students. The reported grade point average of students who were more frequently harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender expression was almost half a grade lower than for students who were less often harassed (2.8 versus 2.4). 41.5% of students who experienced high frequencies of physical harassment did not plan to go to college, for example, compared to 30.1% of those who had not experienced high frequencies of physical harassment.

20. Risks Discussion

21. Solutions for Safer Schools GLSEN 2007 School Climate Survey: Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) or similar student clubs can promote respect for all members of the school community and provide critical support to LGBT students and their allies. The existence of these clubs can make schools safer and more welcoming for LGBT students. Students in schools with a Gay-Straight Alliance: Reported hearing fewer homophobic remarks; Experienced less harassment and assault because of their sexual orientation and gender expression; Were more likely to report incidents of harassment and assault; Were less likely to feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation or gender expression; Were less likely to miss school because of safety concerns; and Reported a greater sense of belonging to their school community.

22. Solutions for Safer Schools 97.4% of students in schools with a GSAsaid that they could identify one or more supportive staff, compared to only 73.8% of students in schools without a GSA only 36.3% of LGBT students reported having a GSA at school 82.5% of students surveyed could identify at least one school staff member whom they believed was supportive of LGBT students, but only 36.3% said that they knew six or more supportive educators

23. Solutions for Safer Schools GLBT Students with supportive educators (six or more): Were less likely to miss at least one day of school in the past month because of safety reasons (20.4%) than students with no supportive educators (39.8%); Had higher grade point averages than students without supportive educators (2.9 versus 2.5); Reported higher educational aspirations than those without supportive educators; and Reported a greater sense of belonging to their school community than those without supportive educators.

24. Solutions for Safer Schools Compared to other students, students in schools with an GLBT inclusive curriculum: heard fewer homophobic remarks; were less likely to be victimized or feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression; had a greater sense of belonging to their school community; and talked about LGBT issues with their teachers more often and rated these conversations more positively. Only 10.5% of students were exposed to positive representations of LGBT people, history or events in their classes and only 14.5% reported that LGBT-related topics were included in their textbooks or other assigned readings.

25. Solutions for Safer Schools Students from schools with a comprehensive, enumerated anti-bullying policy reported a less hostile and more supportive school climate as well as: Heard fewer homophobic remarks (68.8% frequently or often) compared to students in schools with generic, non-enumerated policies (74.3%) or no policy (75.0%); Experienced lower levels of victimization related to their sexual orientation than students with generic policies or no policies at all; Were more likely to report that school staff intervened most of the time or always when hearing homophobic language in school (29.1%) compared to students in schools with generic policies (17.5%) or no policies (13.1%); and Were more likely to report incidents of harassment and assault to school staff (18.7% reported most of the time or always) compared to students in schools with generic policies (13.7%) or no policies at all (11.0%). Only 18.7% reported that their school had a comprehensive policy, whereas 37.6% reported that their school had a generic policy. 43.8% of all students reported that they attend schools without any type of safe school policy.

26. Why do you think these solutions work?

27. Solutions for Safer Schools GLSEN Recommends: Advocate for comprehensive safe school and anti-discrimination legislation at the state and federal level that specifically enumerates sexual orientation and gender identity/expression as protected categories; Implement comprehensive safe school policies in individual schools and districts, with clear and effective systems for reporting and addressing incidents that students experience; Support GSAs or similar student clubs that address LGBT issues and work to improve school climate; Provide training for school staff to improve rates of intervention and increase the number of supportive faculty and staff available to students; and Increase student access to appropriate and accurate information regarding LGBT people, history and events through inclusive curriculum, library resources and access to Internet resources through school computers.

28. Center for Research, Training, and Consultation on GLBTQ Youth Issues Research: Assess the needs of GLBTQ youth and develop best practices to improve school and community climates and influence educational and political policy Training: Train pre-professionals and in-service professionals who [will] work with youth in schools and in community agencies to promote greater understanding and healthy outcomes for GLBTQ youth. Consultation: Consult with schools and agencies to help evaluate programs for [GLBTQ] youth and put into place better policy and practices, particularly anti-bullying policy, and improved curriculum Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA/STRUTS): CMU campus based social support and peer advocacy group for central Michigan area GLBTQ and ally youth, 14-20

29. MPHS GSA/STRUTS Thursdays (during school year) 3:30pm Sloan Hall 123 Central Michigan University

30. Contact Us: Center for Research, training, and consultation on glbtq youth issues Rachel Prevatt, Coordinator Sloan 130 Psychology Department Central Michigan University Mt Pleasant, MI, 48858 Phone: 989-774-7270 E-mail: struts@cmich.edu