Most State Policies that Address LGBTQ Students in Schools are Affirming, Despite Recent Trends Toward Exclusion

Source: Child Trends
Topic: Inclusive Language and Culture, Social Justice
Population Focus: LGBTQ Youth

While statutes and regulations that protect and affirm LGBTQ+ students in schools remain more common than those that exclude them, the recent increase in exclusionary state policies contradicts a research base showing that student outcomes are best served in supportive environments. To analyze the current landscape of state statutes and regulations that either affirm or exclude LGBTQ+ students in schools, Child Trends and EMT Associates collected a list of codified policies that explicitly reference LGBTQ+ student populations.