LGBTQIA2S+ Students and Families

Incidence of LGBTQIA2S+ in the United States

The incidence of individuals who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ in the US in 2017 was approximately 4.6%, with more women (5.1%) than men (3.9%), and more millennials (born between 1980 and 1999, 8.1%) than generation X (born between 1965-1979, 3.5%) (Newport, 2018, May 22). The incidence of younger people reporting a LGBTQIA2S+ identity has been increasing, one percentage point between 2012 and 2017, while older people are not significantly increasing their identification with this community over time. Increasing identification is reported most among Asians and Hispanic Americans, with White and Black people not increasing as much. Interestingly, people from lower income groups (less than $36,000/year) report higher incidences of LGBTQIA2S+ identification (6.2%) and higher income people (more than $90,000) report a lower incidence (3.9%). Per a 2020 Gallup poll, Hawai’i has one of the largest populations identifying as LGBTQIA2S+ among U.S. States (4.6%) with Nevada and Washington being the highest states at 5.6% and 5.5% (Williams Institute). However, Washington D.C. was the highest among all U.S. jurisdictions with approximately 10% at multiple measurement points from 2012 to 2020 (Gates & Newport, Feb. 15, 2013; Newport, 2018, May 22; Williams Institute). North Dakota was the lowest at 1.5%.

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Challenges for LGBTQIA2S+ Youth

Acceptance of the LGBTQIA2S+ community is increasing as indicated by the large public acceptance of same-sex marriage and the 2015 Supreme Court declaration that same-sex marriage is legal in all states. However, students who identify as part of this community suffer greater incidents of bullying, verbal, and physical harassment than non-LGBTQIA2S+ students (GLSEN, 2019; Heiden-Roots et al., 2020). They also more often curtail their educational aspirations and miss more school due to feeling unsafe or not belonging than students who are not a part of this community (Kosciw et al., 2020). They are more prone than non-LGBTQIA2S+ students to suicide ideation or attempts, harming themselves through cutting and other self-harm strategies, use of illicit drugs, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety (Heiden-Roots et al., 2020).

Although the home is the most important place for LGBTQIA2S+ students to feel safe, many students experience difficulty with family members accepting their sexual orientation and/or identification at home. School can be a place in which students can safely explore their sexual orientations and/or identities through talking with their peers and trusted adults. However, other students and teachers often mirror the attitudes of society and perpetuate the stigmas that students experience; teachers may not stop the harassment or address it, thereby creating an unsafe environment at school for LGBTQIA2S+ students. In addition, school policies often discriminate against these students regarding bathroom and locker room rules for access, dress codes, and other policies. Teachers, school counselors, social workers, and administrators often do not get adequate training to support LGBTQIA2S+ students in school (GLSEN, 2019).

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Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Many terms have been developed to appropriately describe people with varied gender identities, expressions and behaviors. Using appropriate terms indicates knowledge about gender issues, sensitivity to people with non-conforming sexual orientations and/or genders, and inclusion of people with all types of gender orientations, identifications, and expressions. The Centers for Educational Justice and Community Engagement at the University of California-Berkeley has developed a comprehensive list of related terms that is available at: https://cejce.berkeley.edu/geneq/resources/lgbtq-resources/definition-terms. Below, we have listed more common terms that all educators should be familiar with and use.

Gender Identity

An individual’s sense of his, her, or their gender, regardless of whether this is congruent with sexual biology. Gender identity is now recognized as a spectrum rather than a dichotomy of male and female. It could be male, female, neither male nor female, both male and female, or a moving target somewhere between male and female.

Gender Conforming and Non-Conforming

Gender conforming includes people whose gender conforms to majority societal expectations of gender expressions of men and women. Gender non-conforming includes people whose gender expressions do not conform to majority societal expectations.

Cisgender

A person is cisgender when the birth sexual biology (male or female) is congruent with the individual’s perception of personal gender identity. The shortened version “cis” is often used.

Sexual Orientation

Sexual orientation indicates to whom one is sexually or romantically attracted. This could include homosexual, gay, or lesbian for someone attracted to a person of the same sex; bisexual or pansexual refers to someone attracted to people of different sexual orientations; and heterosexual or straight refers to a person who is attracted to someone of a different sex.

Homosexual/Gay

A person is homosexual or gay when attracted to someone of the same or similar sex. A lesbian is a woman attracted to other women. A gay man is attracted to other men.

Bisexual/Pansexual

A person who is bisexual is attracted to both men and women. The term pansexual is currently more accepted since it does not imply a dichotomous sex of only men and women.

Transgender

When the birth sexual biology (male or female) is not congruent with the individual’s perception of personal gender identity, a person identifies as transgender. This person may or may not wish to change their body to better reflect personal gender identity. The shortened version “trans” is often used.

Transsexual

A variant of transgender, transsexual generally refers to a person who wishes to alter his, her or their body through hormones or surgery to better reflect personal gender identity.

Trans Girl/Woman

A trans girl is an individual who was born with male biology, who identifies as female.

Trans Boy/Man

A trans boy is an individual who was born with female biology, who identifies as male.

Asexual

A person who is asexual is an individual who does not experience sexual attraction toward anyone and/or does not engage in sexual relations.

Gender Fluid

When gender identification changes and individuals identify at different times as male or female, or in between, they are known as gender fluid.

Pronouns

People often indicate their gender identity by announcing which pronouns they are comfortable using. These could include “he, him, his” for male cisgender or male transgender. “She, her, hers” could refer to someone who identifies as female cisgender or female transgender. “Their or theirs” could refer to a person who identifies as having a fluid gender or who does not identify with any particular gender. Indicating one’s pronouns when meeting someone in person or on correspondence or online can indicate one’s openness to the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

Gender Expression

How a person expresses individual gender identity is their gender expression. This can include dress, behavior, language, and social interests.