Hostile school policies are keeping transgender students out of class

For transgender students, a hostile school policy does not remain confined to a rulebook. It can determine which bathroom they use, whether teachers call them by the correct name, and, increasingly, whether they attend school at all.

A new report from Glisten and The Trevor Project finds that 56 percent of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive students surveyed attended schools with at least one discriminatory policy. Nearly one-third had recently missed school because they feared for their safety.

The report draws from two national surveys involving 5,673 students. In The Trevor Project’s sample, 41 percent said they were prohibited from using a bathroom aligned with their gender, 38 percent faced locker room restrictions, and 33 percent could not participate on the appropriate sports team. More than a quarter were prevented from using their chosen name or pronouns.

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Sixty-one percent reported a negative experience at school, most commonly anti-LGBTQ+ verbal harassment. Nine percent said mistreatment became so severe that they left their school.

That harm showed up in attendance records. One-quarter missed at least 16 days during the school year, the threshold the report used for chronic absenteeism. Put plainly, students in discriminatory environments were more likely to miss substantial amounts of class.

Glisten’s survey found that 32 percent had missed school during the previous month because they felt unsafe. The problem was especially acute for students of color: 80 percent reported harassment or assault connected to their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.

“Schools continue to be hostile sites for LGBTQ+ students, and in particular for trans, gender expansive, and BIPOC students,” Glisten researchers Yu-Chi Wang and Shweta Moorthy said. By conducting focus groups, they said, researchers sought the “context and emotion” behind the statistics.

The report also offers a striking counterpoint. Although 97 percent of students had at least one supportive educator, only 30 percent encountered a positive depiction of LGBTQ+ people or issues in class. Students with more supportive educators, more inclusive lessons, and stronger connections to LGBTQ+ peers reported a greater sense of belonging and higher estimated GPAs. The findings show an association, not proof that support alone caused better grades.

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The solutions are not mysterious or expensive. Teachers can stop anti-LGBTQ+ harassment, respect students’ names and pronouns, include LGBTQ+ people in lessons, and support Gender and Sexuality Alliances — student clubs that provide LGBTQ+ young people with a sense of community.

“This new research shows us that school environments can play a powerful role in determining whether transgender and nonbinary students thrive or struggle at school,” said Derrick Matthews, The Trevor Project’s director of research science.

“Taking small but meaningful actions to support them at school can make a world of difference,” Matthews added.