School violence has been a non-stop topic in recent years and LGBT students have found that the discrimination against them has only become worse, at least in Oregon, as per a new study from the University of Oregon.
According to the study, which is titled "State of the Schools," LGBT students were likely to be subjected to twice as much "verbal, physical, psychological, and sexual violence" as their peers. The study, which surveyed 27,000 students across 600 schools in Oregon, revealed that many of them were impacted by bullying, suicidal ideation, violence, sexual assault, and threatened with weapons. They were also three times as likely to miss school because they were afraid of their safety.
"In 2017, bias-based bullying, violent harassment, sexual assault and fear-based absences were at alarming rates among our LGBT youth," Julie Heffernan, graduate director of teaching and licensure at UO's College of Education and co-chair of the Oregon Safe Schools and Communities Coalition, explained in the report. "We've known these are issues for a long time, but this is the first time we’ve had Oregon data that highlights just how bad conditions can be in our schools."
Part of the reason why this data hasn't existed until now is because most surveys don't actually include enough questions to capture sexual orientation. What made the "State of the Schools" survey different was that it included "new language for the Oregon Health Authority to use in its biannual Oregon Healthy Teens Survey."
"The focus on the well-being of LGBT youth has impacts for all young people," Heffernan continued. "The treatment of LGBT youth in schools is one clear hot spot impacting the overall climate in our schools, but past research has shown that when Oregon schools and communities are inclusive of LGBT diversity, there are mental health improvements for all students as well as a decline in school bullying and violence directed at all students."
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