LGBTQ

Education news, analysis, and opinion about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer students or teachers and their experiences in school

Explainer

These LGBTQ+ Terms Can Help Create A Safe School for Students
To create a safe environment for LGBTQ+ students in schools, here are some terms that educators should know.
The Supreme Court is pictured, June 30, 2024, in Washington.
The Supreme Court is pictured, June 30, 2024, in Washington. The court on Monday declined to hear a case about a school district’s policy to support students undergoing gender transitions.
Susan Walsh/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Won't Take Up Case on District's Gender Transition Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court declined an appeal from a parents' group contending that a district's policy on gender support plans excludes them.
Mark Walsh, December 9, 2024
4 min read
President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before speaking at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards on Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y.
President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before speaking at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards on Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. With the frameworks now in place, Trump has laid priorities for education.
Heather Khalifa/AP
Federal 5 Trump Education Priorities for a Second Term
With key players appointed to their cabinet positions, the scaffolding for President-elect Donald Trump's second term is taking shape.
Brooke Schultz, December 6, 2024
7 min read
Transgenders rights supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington.
Transgender rights supporters rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4 as the court weighed a Tennessee law that restricts certain medical treatments for transgender minors.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Case on Medical Care for Trans Youth Could Impact School Sports
The justices weigh a Tennessee law that bars certain medical treatments for transgender minors, with school issues bubbling around the case.
Mark Walsh, December 4, 2024
8 min read
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP
Law & Courts The Uncertainty Ahead for Title IX and Transgender Students in Trump's New Term
Trump may not be able to withdraw the Title IX rule on "Day 1," but advocates on both sides expect it to go away.
Mark Walsh, November 21, 2024
7 min read
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school bathroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials will investigate the Oklahoma school district where Benedict died, according to a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, 2024.
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school restroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials determined the district was "deliberately indifferent to students' civil rights" based on its responses to reports of sexual harassment.
Nate Billings/The Oklahoman via AP
Federal Nex Benedict's District Was 'Indifferent to Students' Civil Rights,' Feds Find
Federal officials found an Oklahoma district responded inconsistently to sexual-harassment claims.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 13, 2024
5 min read
Photo of distraught teen girl.
Preeti M / Getty
Student Well-Being How Teachers Can Help LGBTQ+ Students With Post-Election Anxiety
LGBTQ+ crisis prevention hotlines have seen a spike in calls from youth and their families.
Caitlynn Peetz & Lauraine Langreo, November 11, 2024
6 min read
Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Republican states are filing a barrage of legal challenges against the Biden administration's newly expanded campus sexual assault rules, saying they overstep the president's authority and undermine the Title IX anti-discrimination law.
Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Roughly 3 percent of high school students identify as transgender, and they face high levels of bullying and hopelessness, according to new data.
Patrick Orsagos/AP
Equity & Diversity Here's How Many High Schoolers Are Transgender—and How They're Faring in Schools
For the first time, national data show how many high school students identify as transgender or gender-questioning.
Brooke Schultz, October 9, 2024
6 min read
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Law & Courts What's Ahead for Education This Supreme Court Term? Trans Rights, E-Rate, and More
The justices have one major case on transgender medical care on their docket and others pending on gender-identity issues in schools.
Mark Walsh, October 4, 2024
10 min read
Claudia Carranza, of Harlingen, hugs her son, Laur Kaufman, 13, at a rally against House Bill 25, a bill that would ban transgender girls from participating in girls school sports, outside the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021.
Claudia Carranza, of Harlingen, Texas, hugs her son, Laur Kaufman, 13, at a rally for transgender rights in Austin on Oct. 6, 2021. The U.S. Department of Education's new Title IX regulation, which adds gender identity and sexual orientation to the definition of sex discrimination, has been challenged in multiple lawsuits and blocked in 26 states and at individual schools in other states.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Law & Courts The New Title IX Regulation and Legal Battles Over It, Explained
The Biden administration's regulation that interprets Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students faces multiple legal challenges.
Mark Walsh, September 12, 2024
5 min read
Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, left, a Republican, takes the ceremonial oath of office from Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel, right, as wife Carmen Horne, middle, holds the bible in the public inauguration ceremony at the state Capitol in Phoenix, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
Arizona schools chief Tom Horne, left, takes the ceremonial oath of office at the state Capitol in Phoenix in January 2023. The Republican is the lead defendant in a lawsuit filed by two transgender girls challenging the Save Women's Sports Act, which bars transgender women and girls from female sports.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
Law & Courts Court Upholds Injunction on Arizona Transgender Sports Ban for Young Athletes
A federal appeals court upholds an injunction against an Arizona law, allowing two transgender girls to compete on female teams.
Mark Walsh, September 9, 2024
3 min read
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump addressed the group's annual convention in Washington on Aug. 30. One popular session was about Moms for Liberty's lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's Title IX regulation.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts How Moms for Liberty's Legal Strategy Has Upended Title IX Rules for Schools
The grassroots group's tactic is confounding schools across the country trying to keep up with which Title IX rules apply to them.
Mark Walsh, September 5, 2024
7 min read
Blue tinted concept image of empty classroom with backpacks and one rainbow backpack.
Liz Yap/Education Week with iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity How Students Say School Policies That Target LGBTQ+ Youth Affect Them
Anti-LGBTQ+ policies can hurt students' mental health and raise their suicide risk, but a supportive adult in schools can help.
Brooke Schultz, August 21, 2024
5 min read
The Supreme Court building is seen on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Washington.
The Supreme Court building is seen on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Leaves Biden's Title IX Rule Fully Blocked in 26 States
The court's action effectively leaves in place broad injunctions blocking the entire regulation in 26 states and at schools in other states.
Mark Walsh, August 16, 2024
5 min read
Illustration about warnings, with a businessman and woman each holding a with megaphone in front of a caution symbol.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Infographic What CDC Safety Data Reveal About School Absenteeism, in Charts
New federal data show a rising number of students feel unsafe at school.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 14, 2024
2 min read