Today, members of the various lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities enjoy many of the same rights and privileges as their cis-gender, heterosexual peers. Yet, the lived experiences of many queer-identified teachers in schools remain problematic, uncomfortable, and tension-filled. Given the rise of 'No Promo Homo' laws…

Background: Sexual minority young people have demonstrated higher rates of emotional distress and suicidality in comparison to heterosexual peers. Research to date has not examined trends in these disparities, specifically, whether there have been disparity reductions or increases and how outcomes have differed over time by sex and sexual…

In less than 2 years, nine young people within one Minnesota school district committed suicide. As such, the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth in the Anoka-Hennepin School District continues to be an example of how embedded ideologies of some individuals can substantially impact the treatment of marginalized…

This article presents a critical discourse analysis of "no promo homo" policies and their effects in US schools. "No promo homo"--short for "no promotion of homosexuality" (Eskridge, 2000, p. 1329)--polices have been adopted across nine states and several local school districts in the United States. They direct…

For a decade, St. Cloud State University has worked to change a broad climate of intolerance that had pervaded the campus of the second-largest university in Minnesota. It has struggled for years to overcome entrenched racism on campus and in the surrounding community. Minority enrollment and faculty of color have increased. The provost is Indian…

Do "out" lesbian and gay faculty influence the inclusion of sexual orientation as a form of diversity in their teacher preparation programmes? Data gathered from 142 teacher preparation programmes across the USA (representing the preparation of 23,000-30,000 new teachers annually) suggest they do not. Likewise, the priority placed upon…

Given the research about the decrease in age of coming out and the established need for support during young adolescents' sexual development, it is clear that programming targeted to middle grades LGBTQ youth is both essential and widely lacking. Interventions such as staff development and training, in-class curriculum, support groups,…

The Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute) is a special entity within the National League of Cities (NLC). The YEF Institute helps municipal leaders take action on behalf of the children, youth, and families in their communities. The YEF Institute's first-ever report on The State of City Leadership for Children and Families…

Educators must consider how learning environments can structure experiences to produce desired learning outcomes. In this paper, the author describes one type of learning environment where youth have the opportunity to construct adaptive, emergent identities--a "dramaturgical" process that structures the telling, adapting, and…

Sexual minority youth commonly face struggles in adapting to unwelcoming or threatening school climates. In one Midwestern city, several schools receive services from Out For Equity (OFE), a flagship program supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allied (LGBTQA) youth. Participating schools indicated consistent…

Describes the growth and development of support groups for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth in Minnesota from 1990 to 1998. Outlines the steps taken to organize these groups and describes the school and community outreach efforts of the University of Minnesota Youth and AIDS Project that resulted in a network of 45 support groups.…

This study examined the coverage of sexual orientation topics within 77 public university secondary teacher preparation programs across seven US states, and represented programs preparing 8,300-11,500 teachers annually. Findings indicated that 40% of programs did not address sexual orientation as a diversity topic. Further, even programs that did…

In the two places where children should feel safe and supported (home and school), gay and lesbian youth are routinely reviled. Educators have a clear professional mandate to address sexual-minority students' needs. Stratford (Connecticut) Public Schools are addressing five important issues concerning professional development, support staff and…

The State of the Science conference was held in May, 2007 as part of the ongoing series of national conferences, "Building on Family Strengths," conducted by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health at Portland State University. The theme of this State-of-the Science conference was "Effective…