AKA William

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On the day that the NYT Magazine featured a lengthy article showing that more and more middle-school-aged kids are coming, GLSEN released areasearch brief that shows that LGBT middle-school students face extreme levels, but have less access to school resources and support.

. . . the first national research report to look specifically at the experiences of LGBT students in middle school, is based on data from 626 LGBT middle school students who participated in GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey of 6,209 secondary school students.

“The findings should be a wake-up call to school officials and policymakers across the country that we can no longer ignore one of the biggest school climate issues facing middle school students, regardless of sexual orientation,” GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said.

. . . More than 8 out of 10 LGBT middle school students (82%) reported hearing homophobic epithets (e.g., “faggot” or “dyke”) frequently or often from other students in school – a higher percentage than high school students (73%). Perhaps most shocking, 63% of LGBT middle school students had heard school staff make homophobic remarks.

Finding: Homophobic remarks and negative comments about someone’s gender expression were pervasive in middle schools

Finding: The majority of LGBT middle school students experienced verbal harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender expression, and sizable percentages were physically harassed or assaulted based on these characteristics.

Finding: Harassment and absenteeism as a result of an unsafe school environment negatively affected LGBT middle school students’ academic performance and ability to attend school.

Finding: Many LGBT students in middle school did not have access to important resources and interventions that can improve school climate.

I’ve written about my experiences as a middle-school-aged gay kid being called “faggot” by teachers. I know, firsthand, the helplessness felt by LGBT kids at this age. GLSEN’s research speaks loudly and clearly about the help LGBT kids need. Our help.