Abstract
Recent youth risk behavior surveys in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Washington provide evidence of widespread prejudice and mistreatment of sexual minority youth in schools. Overtures in the spirit of religious tolerance toward the gay community, by highly visible Christian Right leaders in late 1999, and the coincidental publication of the booklet, Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth, endorsed by 10 mainstream medical, mental health, education, and religious organizations, provide a strong moral and factual rationale for school personnel to move forward in creating safer school environments for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered (GLBT) youth. In the absence of state or federal mandates regarding sexual minority youth, individual schools and/or school districts will face two choices: to maintain the existing status quo, or to work together as a community to establish new policies, norms, and practices. Self-examination and internal dialogue are the first steps toward significant and meaningful school change.
