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Last week, GlSEN issued Shared Differences, a major report on the experiences of LGBT students of color.

NEW YORK – LGBT students of color face unique and diverse challenges regarding victimization at school, according to Shared Differences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students of Color in Our Nation’s Schools, a report released today by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

The report documents the experiences of over 2,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) middle and high school students of color who were African American or Black, Latino/a, Asian or Pacific Islander, Native American, and multiracial, using 2007 data collected as part of GLSEN’s biennial survey of LGBT students, the National School Climate Survey, along with results from in-depth individual and group interviews.

Key Findings:
- More than half of African American/Black, Latino/a, Asian/Pacific Islander, and multiracial students also reported verbal harassment in school based on their race or ethnicity.
- About a quarter of African American/Black and Asian/Pacific Islander students had missed class or days of school in the past month because they felt unsafe.
- Native American students experienced particularly high levels of victimization because of their religion.
- Less than half of students of color who had been harassed or assaulted in school in the past year said that they ever reported the incident to school staff.
- Native American (57%) and multiracial (50%) students were more likely than other students of color in our survey to report incidents to a family member.
- Performance at school also suffered when students experienced high levels of victimization

GLSEN released the report in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Organizing Weekend, which provides an opportunity for students and Gay-Straight Alliances to honor the coalition-building work of Dr. King and other civil rights leaders.