Encourage student-led and student-organized school clubs that promote a safe, welcoming, and accepting school environment (e.g., gay-straight alliances or gender and sexuality alliances).Identify "safe spaces," such as counselors' offices or designated classrooms, where LGBTQI+ youth can receive support from administrators, teachers, or other school staff.Conduct social-emotional learning activities in school to foster peer-relationships and help students develop empathy.
There are important and unique considerations for strategies to prevent and address bullying of LGBTQI+ youth. For LGBTQI+ youth, that risk is even higher. As that changes and data becomes available, this content will be updated to include information regarding these youth.Īdditionally, LGBTQI+ youth are diverse and have other social identities, (e.g., religion, race/ethnicity) that may compound their experiences with bullying and harassment.īullying puts all youth at increased risk for depression, suicidal ideation, misuse of drugs and alcohol, experiencing sexual violence, engaging in unsafe sex practices, and can affect academics as well. Historically, YRBS and other studies have gathered data on lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth but have not included questions about transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, intersex, or queer youth. Prevention in Extra-Curricular Activities.