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ABSTRACT
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 improvement in overall campus climate, according to a series of surveys spanning four years. An initiative implemented in three schools also resulted in significant improvement in student perceptions of safety, comfort, and teacher intervention, suggesting the need for sustained system-wide interventions that make effective use of available resources. Emerging themes in results are discussed and directions for future research are provided.
Alan Horowitz is the coordinator of the Out for Equity program for the Saint Paul Public Schools. Originally from New York where he taught elementary school for eleven years, he sits on the Board of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Anastasia Hansen is a doctoral candidate in the University of Minnesota School Psychology Program. She worked as an intern and later as a volunteer with Out for Equity from 2004 through the present.