GROUP 2

MEMBERS

1. ALDEGUER, GIDEON O.

2. AZARCON, HENRICH JOHN

3. ARMONIO, RENIER

4. APAS, JOHN PAUL

5. BAJA, JENEMAR

6. ESTILLOSO, CHRISTIAN

7. MAGDATO, STEPHEN

8. NARDO, JUNRY

9. PORCADILLA, JUNE

10. SEVILLA, TRISHIA

11. TEVES, STEVENN WILLIAM

12. CALUMBA, LOVELY HOPE

1
GENDER BIASES AS EXPERIENCED BY LGBT-I STUDENTS

1. FOREIGN STUDIES AND REPORTS

2. PHILIPPINE STUDIES AND REPORTS

2
FOREIGN STUDIES AND RESEARCH
GLSEN (2009). The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender middle
school students (GLSEN Research Brief). New York.

GLSEN.ORG

THE EXPERIENCES OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER MIDDLE

SCHOOL STUDENTS: FINDINGS FROM THE 2007 NATIONAL SCHOOL CLIMATE
SURVEY

For many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) middle school students,
school is not a safe place. LGBT students in middle school regularly hear derogatory
remarks and are harassed in school, and are more likely to experience such events
than high school students. In addition, they report little intervention by middle school
staff. These experiences negatively affect students’ academic performance and ability
to attend school. Unfortunately, most LGBT middle school students attend schools
without school-based resources and support that can improve their school experiences
and mitigate the negative effects of a hostile environment, such as Gay-Straight
Alliances and supportive educators. Further, LGBT students in middle school are less
likely than those in high school to have access to school-based resources. Thus, middle
school students face more hostile school climates than high school students, yet have
less access to school resources and supports that can address these issues. Middle
school administrators and educators, education policymakers and others concerned
about issues of safety in our nation’s middle schools must continue to take action to
address the factors creating such hostile climates in order to create safer and more
affirming schools for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity
or gender expression.

FINDING 1: Homophobic remarks and negative comments about someone’s gender

expression were pervasive in middle schools. LGBT middle school students were more
likely to report hearing biased remarks than high school students. Unfortunately, middle
school staff often failed to address the use of such language in school.

 Nine in ten LGBT middle school students (91%) said that they heard the word
“gay” used in a negative or derogatory way often or frequently in school, such as
the expression “you’re so gay.”

• Eight in ten middle school students (82%) reported hearing homophobic epithets
(e.g., “faggot” or “dyke”) often or frequently from other students in school – a higher
percentage than with high school students (see Figure 1). In addition, six in ten students
(63%) heard school staff make homophobic remarks.

3
 • Negative comments about how someone expressed their gender, such as
remarks about someone not acting “masculine” or “feminine enough,” were also
commonly heard. About two-thirds of LGBT middle school students heard negative
remarks about gender expression often or frequently from their peers (66%) – also a
higher frequency than was reported by high school students (see also Figure 1).
Further, nearly two-thirds of middle school students also heard such remarks from
school staff (62%).

• Middle school staff often failed to intervene when homophobic remarks and
negative comments about someone’s gender expression were made in their presence
in school. Less than a fifth of LGBT middle school students reported that school staff
frequently (“most of the time” or “always”) intervened when hearing homophobic
remarks (16%) or comments about someone’s gender expression (17%). Although such
language was more common in middle school, intervention by school staff with biased
remarks did not significantly differ between middle and high school students.

FINDING 2: The majority of LGBT middle school students experienced verbal

harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender expression, and sizable
percentages were physically harassed or assaulted based on these characteristics.
Middle school students reported higher levels of victimization than LGBT high school
students. Further, the majority of middle school students never told school authorities
about these incidents.

• About 9 in 10 LGBT students in middle school (91%) were verbally harassed (e.g.,
called names or threatened) in school because of their sexual orientation, with 8 in 10
(81%) being regularly harassed (sometimes, often or frequently). Also, 7 in 10 (72%)
reported having been verbally harassed in school because of their gender expression.

• About 6 in 10 LGBT students in middle school (59%) experienced physical

harassment (e.g., pushed or shoved) in school because of their sexual orientation, and
4 in 10 (41%) were physically harassed because of how they expressed their gender

. • Incidents of physical assault (e.g., punched, kicked, or injured with a weapon) were
less often reported, but nevertheless, more than a third of middle school students (39%)
had been assaulted in school because of their sexual orientation and about a quarter
(24%) because of their gender expression.

• LGBT middle school students were significantly more likely than high school students
to report experiencing victimization related to sexual orientation and gender expression,
and the difference was even greater when the severity of harassment was higher. As
shown in Figure 2, for 91% 59% 39% 72% 41% 24% 86% 43% 20% 66% 29% 13% 0%
20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Verbal Harassment Physical Harassment Physical Assault
Verbal Harassment Physical Harassment Physical Assault Sexual Orientation Gender.

4
Experiences of Harassment and Assault Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender
Expression by School Level (percentage of students who ever experienced the incident
in the past year) Middle School Students High School Students [3] example, middle
school students were nearly twice as likely to be physically assaulted based on their
sexual orientation than were high school students (39% vs. 20%).

Unfortunately, LGBT middle school students who experience victimization in school may
not be receiving the help or support they need to deal with these experiences. Many
middle school students who were harassed or assaulted in school never reported the
incident to adult authorities – 57% never told school staff and 50% never told a parent
or other family member. Among middle school students who did tell school authorities
about an incident, less than a third (29%) said that reporting resulted in effective
intervention by school staff.

FINDING 3: LGBT middle school students often missed classes or did not attend school
altogether because they felt unsafe. Students who experienced high levels of
harassment or assault were even more likely to report missing school. Half of LGBT
students in middle school (50%) reported missing at least one day of school in the past
month because they felt unsafe. Further, more than a third of middle school students
(39%) skipped a class at least once in the past month due to concerns for their own
safety. Given the pervasiveness of harassment and assault in middle schools, it is not
surprising that so many LGBT middle school students missed school because of safety
concerns. In fact, middle school students who were more frequently harassed were
even more likely to be absent from school (see Figure 3). For example, nearly three-
quarters of middle school students (72%) who were physically assaulted because of
their sexual orientation missed at least a day of school due to safety concerns,
compared to less than half (43%) of other students. Similarly, middle school students
who experienced high levels of harassment or assault based on their gender expression
were much more likely to miss days of school.

FINDING 4: Harassment and absenteeism as a result of an unsafe school environment

negatively affected LGBT middle school students’ academic performance and ability to
attend school.

• LGBT middle school students who missed days of school because they felt unsafe
had grade point averages (GPAs) about half a grade lower than those students who did
not miss school because of safety concerns – 2.4 vs. 2.9 (out of 4.0).

• LGBT middle school students who experienced high levels of harassment or assault
because of their sexual orientation reported significantly lower GPAs than students who
were never or rarely victimized in school for this reason. For example, the GPAs of

5
students who experienced high levels of physical harassment because of their sexual
orientation were almost half a grade lower than other students.

FINDING 5: Many LGBT students in middle school did not have access to important
resources and interventions that can improve school climate. Findings from GLSEN’s
2007 National School Climate Survey (www.glsen.org/research) demonstrate that the
presence of supportive school staff, student clubs that address LGBT students’ issues
(often called Gay-Straight Alliances or GSAs), LGBT-inclusive curricular resources and
comprehensive anti-harassment policies are related to more positive school climates.
LGBT students reported a greater sense of safety and less absenteeism when they had
supportive educators, access to GSAs and were taught about LGBT-related topics in
school. In addition, students experienced fewer incidents of harassment and assault
and reported more effective.

6
The intervention by school staff when incidents did occur when the school had a
comprehensive anti-harassment policy that explicitly prohibited harassment based on
sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. LGBT students in schools with these
types of resources and interventions were also less likely to hear homophobic remarks
in school. Unfortunately, with the exception of supportive school staff, few LGBT
students in middle schools reported having access to these resources and interventions
in school. In fact, middle school students were less likely to have access to GSAs,
supportive staff and inclusive curricular resources than LGBT students in high school

: • Gay-Straight Alliances. Very few LGBT middle school students (4%) reported that
their school had a GSA or similar student club, and they were much less likely to have a
GSA than students in high school (see Figure 5).

• Supportive School Staff. Nearly two-thirds of middle school LGBT students (64%)
reported having at least one teacher or other school staff person in school who they felt
was supportive of LGBT students, but they were less likely than high school students
(86%) to report having supportive school staff.

• LGBT-Inclusive Curricular Resources. Middle school students were much less likely
than high school students to report having access to curricular resources that included
positive representations of LGBT people, history or events. As shown in Figure 5: ƒ
Only about a quarter of middle school students (23%) reported that their school library
contained books or other resources that were inclusive of LGBT-related topics,
compared to half of high school students (48%). ƒ Less than a fifth of LGBT students in
middle school (13%) reported that they could access information about LGBT-related
topics via their school’s Internet, compared to a third of high school students (32%). ƒ
Middle school students were less likely to report that LGBT-related topics were included
in school textbooks and other assigned readings - 6% versus 16% of LGBT students in
high school.

Comprehensive School Anti-Harassment Policies. When asked about the presence of

school policies addressing harassment, 52% of LGBT middle school students reported
that their school had some type of anti-harassment policy. However, less than a fifth
(17%) of middle school students reported that the policy explicitly mentioned protections
from harassment based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.
Reports of school anti-harassment policies did not significantly differ between middle
and high school students, which may be because individual school policies are often
based on school district policies and regulations. Thus, students attending middle or
high schools in the same district would most likely have the same or similar anti-
harassment policies.

7
RECOMMENDATIONS

U.S. middle schools are unsafe for many LGBT students, with climates that are even
more hostile than those experienced by LGBT high school students. Biased and
derogatory language, especially homophobic language, was very common and middle
school students heard biased remarks not only from their peers, but from school
personnel as well. Middle school students also faced harassment in school, both verbal
and physical in nature, with sexual orientation and gender expression being the
characteristics most commonly targeted. These experiences led many middle school
students to miss classes and entire days of school because they felt unsafe, and
students who experienced high levels of harassment or assault were at risk of increased
absenteeism. Students who were frequently harassed reported lower grade point
averages, suggesting that a negative school climate may hinder students’ ability to
succeed academically. Unfortunately, incidents of harassment and assault often went
unreported to school authorities and when staff were notified, few students said they
effectively intervened. Not only did middle school students experience more hostile
school environments than those in high school, they also had much less access to
school-based resources and supports that can help to create safer and more affirming
schools, such as Gay-Straight Alliances, supportive school personnel, and inclusive
curricular resources. It is clear that there is a need for action to create safer school
environments for LGBT middle school students. As discussed above, findings from
GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey highlight the important role that
educators and institutional supports can play in remedying the situation. However, few
middle school students reported that they had access to these institutional supports in
school. GLSEN’s work is devoted to addressing the urgent need to create safer and
more affirming schools for all students. To this end, we recommend the following
measures for middle school administrators, educators, education policymakers and
others concerned with school safety and students’ experiences in our nation’s middle
schools:

• Implement comprehensive anti-harassment policies that specifically enumerate sexual

orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as protected categories, and with
clear and effective systems for reporting and addressing incidents that students
experience;

• Support Gay-Straight Alliances and similar student-led clubs that address LGBT
students’ issues and work to improve school climate;

• Provide training for middle school staff to improve rates of intervention and increase
the number of supportive staff available to students.

8
 II
Wilborn P. Nobles III (2019). Louisiana schools unsafe for LGBT students, education
group report says. 840 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA, USA.
https://www-nola-com.cdn.ampproject.org

Louisiana schools unsafe for LGBT students, education group report says

A vast majority of LGBT students at middle and high schools in Louisiana regularly hear
homophobic and transphobic remarks on campus, according to a report recently
released by the national education organization GLSEN.

GLSEN, formerly known as the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, released
state-level data last week from its biennial National School Climate Survey, which has
documented the experiences of LGBT children in schools since 1999. The organization
surveyed 23,001 LGBT students nationwide, including a sample of 297 students from
Louisiana with a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percent for the state’s results.

Among those surveyed in Louisiana, 83 percent of them attended public schools. The
report found 85 percent of LGBT students reported regularly hearing homophobic
remarks from other students, and 77 percent reported regularly hearing negative
remarks about transgender people. Additionally, 32 percent of LGBT students said they
regularly heard school staff make homophobic remarks and 52 percent regularly heard
school staff make negative remarks about someone’s gender expression.

The report also found most of Louisiana’s LGBT students reported experiencing
harassment at school. Of those surveyed, 79 percent of LGBT students said they
experienced verbal harassment at school based on sexual orientation, and 67 percent
experienced verbal harassment at school based on gender expression.

Candidate for Orleans School Board president faces backlash over LGBT views

9
Fifty-three percent of LGBT students said they never reported these types of incidents
to school staff and only 28 percent of those who reported them said it resulted in
effective staff intervention, the report showed. Additionally, 33 percent of LGBT students
reported they also experienced victimization at school based on disability, according to
the group. Meanwhile, 30 percent reported victimization based on race/ethnicity and 38
percent reported victimization based on religion.

“This research makes clear that many LGBTQ students in Louisiana are facing hostile
environments that lack many of the resources that make their schools safe spaces for
them to attend,” according to GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard in a Jan. 9 released
statement.

The report also said 78 percent of students reported experiencing at least one form of
anti-LGBT discrimination at school during the past year. Seventy-two percent of
transgender students said they were unable to use the school restroom aligned with
their gender, and 65 percent of transgender students were prevented from using their
chosen name or pronouns in school, the survey said.

The report also shared the following statistics on school policies and supports for
Louisiana’s LGBT students:

 Forty-eight percent of LGBT students in Louisiana said they were disciplined for
public displays of affection that didn’t result in similar action for non-LGBT
students.
 Byard stressed leaders statewide “must prioritize the safety and well-being” of all
students by supporting policies and practices that are “inclusive and affirming of
LGBT students.” GLSEN’s 2017 survey found students attending schools with
these resources and supports report more positive school experiences, including
higher academic achievement and lower victimization and absenteeism, the
report stated.
 The results of Louisiana’s survey can be found on GLSEN’s website. A state-by-
state breakdown of GLSEN’s survey is also available online.

10
 III

GAY+ LESBIAN EQUALITY NETWORK (2016). Being LGBT in school. Dublin,

Ireland.

www.education.ie

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER (LGBT) STUDENTS

It is highly likely that every school and classroom in Ireland has LGBT students. A
recent survey of 8,000 young people found a sizeable minority did not identify as
heterosexual - 8% identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, while a further 3% were unsure
of their sexual orientation (Dooley & Fitzgerald, 2013). Applying the 8% figure to the
current enrolment in second level schools amounts to approximately 29,000 young
people who identify as LGBT, whether they are out or not; this is a sizeable minority.
Despite the size of these numbers, LGBT students are still largely invisible in many of
our schools and many LGBT young people will wait until they leave school before
‘coming out’ (Mayock et al, 2009). However, the age at which young people come out is
getting lower and many will now come out during their second level years (Higgins et al,
2016).

EXPERIENCES OF SCHOOL AMONG LGBT YOUNG PEOPLE The LGBTIreland

study is the most comprehensive study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
intersex (LGBTI) people in Ireland (Higgins et al, 2016). The study, which was funded
by the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention, had a special emphasis on young
people. Over 2,250 people participated in the research, of these almost 50% were 25
years or under and therefore were either in school or had left school within the recent
past. Key findings in relation to school experiences include: Safety

⚫ 67% had witnessed LGBTI bullying in their school

⚫ 48% had personally experienced LGBTI bullying by fellow students

⚫ There is a strong statistical link between experiencing LGBTI school bullying and
depression, anxiety, stress, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. Support

⚫ 4.43 was the mean score out of 10 when asked to rate their school’s
LGBTIfriendliness

⚫ Only 25% rated their school’s LGBTIfriendliness at 7 out of 10 or higher

⚫ Just 1 in 5 felt they completely belonged in their school as an LGBTI student

11
⚫ Only 44% said they received positive affirmation of their LGBTI identity in school
Participation

⚫ 1 in 4 missed or skipped school or school events to avoid negative treatment due to

being LGBTI

⚫ 1 in 4 considered leaving school early (before final state examinations) because of

negative treatment they had received as an LGBTI student and 5% did leave early.

AWARENESS OF LGBT IDENTITY

The years that coincide with post-primary education are critical for young people in
developing an understanding of themselves and the formation of their identity, including
cultural and ethnic identity, sexual orientation and gender identity. This can be a
challenging but exciting period. For some it can be very difficult, especially but not
exclusively, for those who identify their sexual orientation to be other than heterosexual,
or their gender identity to be different to the one they were assigned at birth. For all
young people, this time of formative psychological development impacts on future well-
being and life achievements. The LGBTI Ireland research carried out by Higgins et al
(2016) confirmed the findings of Mayock et al (2009) that the most common age of
realisation of LGBT identity is 12 years. Higgins et al also found that the age of coming
out to at least one other person is lower by one year than that found by Mayock et al in
2009, i.e. the age has come down from 17 years of age to 16 years of age. Higgins et al
(2016) found that people are coming out at a younger age and the gap between
‘knowing and telling’ is narrowing. The age of realisation of trans identity is generally
much younger than sexual orientation identity. Kennedy & Hellen (2010) found that the
majority of transgender respondents were aware that they were trans before they left
primary school.

COMING OUT AND BEING OUT AT SCHOOL

‘Coming out’ is the term used to describe the process through which a person realises
that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and begins to disclose their sexual
orientation or gender identity to others. The process also involves developing a positive
identity as an LGBT person. The level of support available to young people from family,
friends and school is a major determinant of how easy or difficult it is for them to
navigate this process (Higgins et al, 2016; Mayock, et al, 2009). Mayock et al (2009)
also found that the period between initial awareness of one’s sexual orientation or
gender identity and coming out was generally experienced as difficult, daunting and
traumatic; many people attributed this to fear of rejection, isolation.

12
 IV

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law (2018). LGBT Youth Experiences
Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying in School. Los Angeles, CA .

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/

LOS ANGELES – Members of Congress yesterday reintroduced the Student Non-

Discrimination Act (SDNA) to protect LGBT students from school-based harassment,
bullying, violence and intimidation. The Williams Institute is providing this fact sheet to
assist with reporting on the issue of LGBT youth experiences with discrimination,
harassment and bullying in primary and secondary schools. Williams Institute scholars
are available for comment.

LGBT Students in the United States

In the United States, an estimated 3.2 million youth (ages 8-18) are LGBTQ. Among
older youth, approximately 8% or 1.6 million youth (in grades 9-12) identify as LGB, and
nearly 1% or 150,000 youth (ages 13-17) identify as transgender.
Federal statutes currently protect schoolchildren by prohibiting discrimination on the
basis of sex, national origin, race, and religion, but do not explicitly protect students
from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. According to
Williams Institute findings
 Only 20 states and the District of Columbia have anti-discrimination or anti-
bullying laws that explicitly protect LGBT students.
 Approximately 55% of LGBT youth live in states that do not have laws that
explicitly protect them from discrimination based on sexual orientation or
gender identity.
Individual schools and school districts can also prohibit discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity. However, in a 2015 survey, only 10.2% of LGBT
students reported that they attended schools with explicit anti-bullying or anti-
discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.
LGBT Bullying and Discrimination in Schools
Documented evidence indicates that LGBT youth regularly experience discrimination
and harassment because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. For example,
a 2015 report by GLSEN found that
 85% of LGBT students have experienced verbal harassment
 58% of LGBT youth have felt unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation;
43% have felt unsafe because of their gender identity
 27% of LGBT students have been physically harassed at school because of
their sexual orientation; 13% have been physically harassed because of their
gender identity

13
In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that with regard to LGB
youth:

 34% have experienced bullying while on school grounds

 28% have experienced electronic or cyber bullying
Many transgender adults report that they experienced harassment at school when they
were younger. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that of those who identified as
transgender in K-12 grade
 54% reported being verbally harassed
 24% reported being physically attacked
 17% reported leaving a school because mistreatment was so bad.

14
 V.

Dessel, A. B., Goodman, K. D., & Woodford, M. R. (2017). LGBT discrimination on

campus and heterosexual bystanders: Understanding intentions to intervene.

https://psycnet.apa.org

LGBT discrimination on campus and heterosexual bystanders: Understanding intentions

to intervene.

Abstract
Discrimination targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students on
college campuses occurs. Bystander intervention is important in supporting targeted
students and improving campus climate for LGBT students. Peer-familiarity context (i.e.,
who the bystander knows in the situation) can play a role in bystander intervention, but
researchers have not explored the nature of bystander intervention in specific peer-
familiarity contexts concerning LGBT discrimination. Using hypothetical vignettes, we
examine heterosexual students’ (n = 1616) intention to intervene across 4 peer-
familiarity contexts, namely, when the bystander knows no one, only witnesses or
targets, only perpetrator, or everyone. We explore the role of student inputs
(sociodemographics, self-esteem, attitudes toward LGBT people and political ideology)
and experiences (LGBT social contacts, LGBT and social justice course content, and
perceived and experienced campus climate) on their intentions to intervene in these
contexts. Multiple regression results suggest that across all peer-familiarity contexts,
being older, having higher self-esteem, having LGBT friends, taking courses with social
justice content, and affirming attitudes toward LGBT people were independently
associated with higher intentions to intervene. Males were more likely than females to
intervene when they knew no one, while females were more likely to intervene in all
other contexts. Race/ethnicity, religious affiliation, witnessing heterosexist harassment,
perceptions of campus climate for LGBT students, and student standing were significant
in particular peer contexts.

15
 VI
Tang X, Poudel AN(2018). Exploring challenges and problems faced by LGBT students
in Philippines: A qualitative study.

http://www.alliedacademies.org

Challenges and problems faced by LGBT students in the Philippines

Known from participants, discrimination from different sides, mental health issues and
the lack of recognition from public are main challenges faced by LGBT students in the
Philippines.

Discrimination and bullying

(1) Discrimination from academic stuff

Professors and administration employees are highly respected by students, however

even in an open-minded place like UP, many of them still would say or do something
disrespectful to LGBT students although the students have expressed their
dissatisfaction.

“Once in a (….) class, the professor refused to use the female pronoun to call a
transgender woman. I think she requested the professor to refer her with female form,
but the professor did not agree. Some professors will call a transgender woman ‘Sir’
and it makes her uncomfortable” [P1, 23 years].

Furthermore, in some Catholic schools, LGBT students can be dismissed just because
of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

“I know someone who was kicked out by the school because he was gay and it was a
Catholic school” [P9, 20 years].

(2) Discrimination from family, friends and employers

The particpants stated that Filipinos have been strongly influenced by the religion and
culture. The parents’ generation seems to be hard to accept LGBT and SOGIE
knowledge. Some LGBT students were even kicked out by their families and had to live
in the shelter. As for friends, some people will judge LGBT students and isolate them if
they reveal their gender identity. In the view of Babaylan’s members, being hurt by the
closest people in the life can bring the most serious fear and trauma. That makes LGBT
people feel more scared to come out to the public and it is also the main cause of
mental illness.

16
“I came from a family that doesn’t recognize LGBT people. I’ve been kicked out by my
family because they can’t accept me as a transgender woman, so they sent me out of
the house” [P3, 20 years].

“The reason why I did not come out to some of my friends is that I am scared if they find
out, they would not be my friends any more. Some friends would not be that close to
you. They say negative stuff about you behind your back. It makes it hard to come out
because of that fact” [P8,18 years].

The discrimination from work places and schools are also common. Many LGBT
students can’t be employed or paid less than others because of their sexual orientation.
Cases of sexual harassment and physical or verbal violence still occur to Filipino LGBT
students.

“Sometimes LGBT can’t get jobs, they are not paid well because they are thought that
they don’t deserve the jobs. People discriminate them in the working places” [P6, 22
years].

“I have been dragged by my classmates for being a gay, from the first floor to the fourth
floor in our school building when I was young. Others even have been punched,
slapped. Verbal and physical violence occur” [P3, 20 years].

Mental health issue: The participants reported that mental health issue is a severe
challenge of LGBT students. The negative experience in daily life, the fear of coming
out and being identified by families could all cause mental issues. Those pressures will
be added and triggered when a person is mentally ill and an LGBT at the same time.
Many people cannot handle their work and study because of the depression, anxiety, or
suicidal thoughts. To be specific, four suicide cases were reported in the UP during the
last 3 months. A lot of members in Babaylan are diagnosed with mental illness. It
influences not only their health but also slows the working process because the
organization has to put members’ well-being as the priority.

“It really adds up to the problems they are facing, because it will cause the depression,
anxiety, most seriously the death. You are always afraid that people will see you and tell
your parents that you are a LGBT person” [P7, 20 years].

The lack of recognition by the public: From the perspectives of the participants, the
LGBT community is not well recognized in the country. The public are not willing to
know about SOGIE related information and are still having stereotypes towards this
minority group.

One typical example is misgendering the transgender and bisexual community. People
do not think that a transgendered woman is a real woman. Even those who know a little
about SOGIE still believe that there are only gays and lesbians in the world. One
possible reason for this binary thought is that in Tagalog (the Filipino language), there
are only words for gay (bakla) and for lesbian (tomboy), and no equivalent terms for

17
transgender and bisexuality. Therefore, people think these two minorities don’t really
exist and they express themselves differently just to be sexually attractive.

“Sometimes it hurts me when my friends misgender me and it triggers my dysphoria. I

still work hard to explain my identity, even if I do, people still split it off” [P12, 20 years].

The participants revealed that some bars and organizations do not allow transgender
people to enter or apply. The discrimination also happens when they use the bathroom.
For example, in some shopping malls and universities, transgender people are not
permitted to use the bathroom which they prefer. The poor recognition has brought
them extra pressure and led to mental illness.

“I have a trans-friend who entered female bathroom, she was wearing feminine clothing,
the guard shouted at her to go out. She argued, she explained her identity as a
transgender girl, the guard didn’t have it. He kept making her go to the male bathroom
until the argue is getting loud and people were staring, so she had to walk away and
went to the opposite restroom. This triggered her for sure” [P11, 19 years].

The knowledge about HIV is also limited. People will strongly associated HIV/AIDS with
gay people and the whole LGBT community, with the thought that it is a disease which
only gays have. This stereotype affects not only LGBT community but also stigmatises
people living with HIV.

Additionally, people who are against LGBT would attack the LGBT community on social
media, a platform that quickly spreads messages, stated by a participant. Aggressive
comments can be reposted over hundreds of times. People who read it would easily
believe the posts and form the negative impression to LGBT. It harms the reputation of
the whole community and makes advocacy harder.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the findings indicated a slow progressive living environment of Filipino
LGBT students, who lack legal protection; suffer from mental health issues, opposed by
religion and so on. The possible solutions such as separating church from the
government’s work, educating and sensiting more people, and organising and engaging
LGBT individuals were suggested by the study. The findings have significant
international health implication because it could draw people’s attention of the wellbeing
of LGBT students not only in conversative countries but also in ‘gay-friendly’ nations like
Philippines. The mental and physical health of LGBT community, especially students
should be paid much attention.

Speficially, following recommendations are made for different stakeholders:

• We would like to recommend all LGBT organizations working in the Philippines to

conduct more professional trainings to deal with mental health issues of LGBT students,
working with the universities and mental health clinics to treat serious issues of mental
health.

18
• We would like to suggest the LGBT organizations which have complicated application
process to simplify it so that they could recruit more members for their organizations to
increase helping hands in the advocacy and other supportive works.

• We want to recommend the LGBT organizations and students to participate more in

social media debates, such as in TV programmes, YouTube videos, online discussion
or in activities to deliver SOGIE information.

• We would like to recommend the Philippino communitybased organizations to

organise SOGIE related trainings to the community administers, as well as families who
have LGBT children, with the help of LGBT organizations.

• We would like to recommend schools and universities in the philippines to establish

supportive policies, which include the freedom to LGBT students be organised,
establish LGBT organizations, hold LGBT advocacy, wear uniforms and access facilities
consistent with students’ self-expressed gender identity, and provide quicker response
system to mental health issues of the students.

• We would also like to recommend to provide training to school or college teachers and
staff to respond bullying and harassment; and integrate comprehensive SOGIE
knowledge with other courses.

 We would like to recommend the Government of Philippines to advance passing

of the anti-discrimination bill; separate the obligations with the church according
to the Constitution, especially when it comes to LGBT issues; and ensure the
equal rights of LGBT community on education, healthcare (mainly sexual and
mental health) and employment and to organise themselves.

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 VII

LGBT STUDENTS FACE DISCRIMINATION WHILE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

WALKS BACK OVERSIGHT

The U.S. Department of Education under Secretary Betsy DeVos has recently taken
steps to walk back the agency’s role in protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ students. In
multiple congressional appearances, for example, DeVos has consistently declined to
say that the department will protect LGBTQ students from discrimination. Further, the
agency decided this past fall to rescind the Obama administration’s Title IX guidance
regarding transgender students. As one of us has argued, this move leaves transgender
students at risk and is out of sync with federal law. Nonetheless, the Department of
Education is doubling down on this approach and recently announced that the Office of
Civil Rights will no longer accept complaints about transgender students not being able
to use a bathroom that matches their gender identity. While these recent policy
decisions affect transgender students in particular, these actions combined with
DeVos’s testimony leave the impression that the department is taking a hands-off
approach toward enforcing federal civil rights laws as they pertain to LGBTQ students.

The Department of Education’s current approach toward its enforcement role is a

concern, particularly given new evidence from a recent nationally representative survey
of LGBTQ adults. This survey shows that many LGBTQ people report and perceive
discrimination in school settings, both at the K-12 levels and in higher education. This
survey, produced by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H.
Chan School of Public Health (NPR/RWJF/Harvard), provides a valuable
and rare snapshot into the perceptions and experiences of LGBTQ individuals. Below,
we discuss what we can learn from this survey about the experiences of LGBTQ
individuals and, in particular, their perception of discrimination in educational contexts.
In the context of K-12 education, the survey asked LGBTQ respondents whether they
agree or disagree with the following statement: “Because of the way the schools
operate where I live, LGBTQ children here don’t have the same chances to get a quality
education as children who are not LGBTQ.” Overall, 43 percent of LGBTQ respondents
agree with this statement, while 52 percent disagree, and 5 percent say they don’t
know. For a point of reference, the share of LGBTQ respondents who agree with this
statement is roughly the same as the share of Latinos (45 percent) and Native
Americans (40 percent) who say that Latino or Native American children (respectively)
do not have the same chances to get a quality education as white children, as
we reported in a prior post.

While not a majority, a substantial amount of LGBTQ people agree that LGBTQ
students’ education is negatively impacted because of their sexual orientation and/or
gender identity. These survey results are consistent with other major research in this
area, including GLSEN’s 2015 National School Climate Study, which found that LGBTQ
students face a “hostile school climate” because of the harassment, bullying, and
discrimination they experience at school. The survey results further suggest that this

20
problem is not confined to K-12 education. The following figure shows LGBTQ people’s
perceptions of how often lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people in their neighborhood
are discriminated against when applying to or while at college, and separately their
beliefs of how often transgender people are discriminated against when applying to or
while at college.
Overall, large majorities of LGBTQ people believe that both LGB and transgender
people are discriminated against at college, though they perceive this discrimination
happening slightly more often against transgender people. As shown in Figure 1, 58
percent of LGBTQ respondents say that, where they live, LGB people are sometimes or
often discriminated against at college. Slightly more, 64 percent, say that transgender
people are sometimes or often discriminated against at college.

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 VIII

Glsen (2011). THE EXPERIENCES OF LGBT STUDENTS IN SCHOOL ATHLETICS.

New York.

https://www.glsen.org

THE EXPERIENCES OF LGBT STUDENTS IN SCHOOL ATHLETICS

For students in general, participation in sports and physical activity at school has been
shown to have positive effects on their physical health, self-esteem, and sense of
connectedness to their schools. Involvement in extracurricular sports has also been
shown to have academic benefits, both directly through school policies requiring
athletes to maintain minimum GPA’s and indirectly by strengthening students’
identification with their school communities.

1 Unfortunately, some research suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) students may not have access to the benefits of participating in school athletics
because they may be less likely than their non-LGBT peers to attend Physical
Education (P.E.) classes or play on a sports team.

2 Using data from GLSEN’s 2011 National School Climate Survey, this brief examines
LGBT students’ experiences in school athletics, including the benefits of their
involvement and the barriers to their participation.

FACT: Physical Education classes were unsafe environments for many LGBT students.
As with most secondary students in the U.S., 3 most (73.0%) LGBT students took a
P.E. or gym class at school in the past year. Unfortunately, many LGBT students had
been harassed or assaulted while attending these classes. More than half of LGBT
students who took a P.E. class were bullied or harassed during P.E. because of their
sexual orientation (52.8%) or gender expression (50.9%). Perhaps given these
experiences of victimization, LGBT students commonly avoided athletics spaces at
school because of feeling unsafe or uncomfortable.

 One third (32.5%) of LGBT students avoided attending P.E. classes, and students
who experienced higher levels of victimization in P.E. classes were more likely to avoid
attending these classes.4

 Four in ten (39.0%) avoided locker rooms.

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  Almost a quarter (22.8%) avoided school athletics fields and facilities. LGBT
Students' Experiences of Bullying and Harassment in P.E. Classes Frequently Often
Sometimes Rarely FACT: LGBT students may be underrepresented on extracurricular
sports teams. Many LGBT students participated in athletics activities at school beyond
P.E. class, such as interscholastic sports (competition with teams from other schools),
and intramural sports (competition among teams at the same school).

 About a quarter (23.2%) of LGBT students participated in interscholastic sports.

 13.4% played on intramural sports teams.

 8.2% played both interscholastic and intramural sports.

 6.1% of all LGBT student athletes reported serving in a leadership or captain role on
their team. We also examined how LGBT students’ sports participation compared to the
general population of students. Using national estimates for interscholastic high school
sports participation, 5 we found that LGBT high school students were about half as
likely to play interscholastic sports as their peers (23.2% vs. 47.8%).6

FACT: LGBT student athletes reported better academic and mental health outcomes.

Consistent with findings from the general population of student athletes, LGBT students
who played on school-based sports teams reported better academic and mental health
outcomes compared to LGBT students who did not participate in sports, and team
leaders reported additional benefits.

 LGBT students on interscholastic or intramural sports teams reported higher GPA’s

than nonathletes.

 LGBT students involved in sports reported higher self-esteem than their LGBT peers.

 LGBT student athletes also reported a greater sense of belonging9 to their school
communities than non-athletes.

 Team leaders reported even higher GPA’s, self-esteem, and feelings of belonging at
school than non-leader athletes.

23
FACT: Many LGBT students experienced discrimination and harassment in school
sports.

Although sports participation may provide numerous benefits, LGBT students may also
be targeted for bias-based harassment and assault in these sports environments. Over
a quarter of LGBT student athletes reported having ever been harassed or assaulted
while playing on a school sports team because of their sexual orientation (27.8%) or
gender expression (29.4%). Additionally, many LGBT students reported that
discrimination prevented them from participating in sports fully and safely. For example,
some students reported that LGBT students were either officially or informally
disallowed from participating in certain school activities, including sports teams, often
because the presence of an LGBT person was perceived to be “disruptive.” Many also
identified practices that particularly hindered transgender students’ participation, such
as requiring students to use gender-segregated locker rooms based on a student’s sex
assigned at birth.

FACT: LGBT student athletes may not feel fully supported by athletics staff and policies.

As educators, P.E. teachers and athletics coaches can be important resources for
many LGBT student athletes. For example, LGBT students who felt comfortable talking
to their P.E. teachers or coaches about LGBT issues were less likely to avoid athletics
spaces at school and less likely to experience harassment and assault in P.E. class or
while playing sports.10 Yet, most students did not feel they could communicate about
LGBT issues with staff in their school athletics department – (79.4%) of LGBT students
said that they were uncomfortable talking to their P.E. teachers or coaches about LGBT
issues. Additionally, policies that explicitly protect LGBT students from victimization and
discrimination are key resources for ensuring safe and respectful schools for LGBT
students in general, and as such, may afford protections for LGBT students who
participate in school athletics. We found that students at schools with an anti-bullying
and harassment policy that explicitly protects students based on sexual orientation and
gender identity/expression were less likely than students without such a policy to
experience victimization while participating in P.E. class and extracurricular sports. 11
Yet, only 7.4% of LGBT students reported that their schools have a comprehensive anti-
bullying/harassment policy.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Findings from this brief underscore the barriers to participation in school-based athletics
faced by many LGBT students. School-wide efforts to reduce bias-based victimization
can help create a safer school environment for LGBT youth, and support their
participation in extracurricular activities such as athletics. Supportive resources are
critical to ensure that LGBT youth may fully enjoy the benefits of participation in school-
based physical education and sports. School athletics programs should incorporate

24
policies and procedures for ensuring safe and affirming environments for LGBT
athletes, such as prohibiting anti-LGBT name-calling or chants by spectators at games,
providing professional development on LGBT issues for P.E. teachers and coaches,
and allowing students to participate on teams consistent with their gender identity.12
Several resources are available for educators, parents, and student athletes interested
in addressing LGBT issues in school-based sports communities.

For example, Changing the Game: The GLSEN Sports Project, provides a variety of
strategies and resources to assist K-12 schools in creating safe and respectful sports
and physical education environments, especially for LGBT students. Visit
sports.glsen.org for further information.

25
 IX
Jessica Campisi (2018). LGBT students face more hostile school climates.
Washington, DC

https://www.industrydive.com

LGBT students face more hostile school climates

Dive Brief:

 During the past several years, LGBTQ students have experienced a more
positive school climate, but they could now be facing more hostile campus
environments, according to a survey commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
 Education Week reports that according to the survey, verbal harassment of
transgender students increased between 2015 and 2017, while reports of gender
expression-based physical harassment and assault were relatively stagnant.
Additionally, more than 80% of LGBTQ students were harassed or assaulted at
school in 2017, the report says, and one-sixth of students say their sexual
orientation or gender expression was the reason they were physically assaulted
at school.
 While almost everyone in the survey said they had the support of at least one
staff member at their school, more than half of LGBTQ students heard
homophobic comments from staff members. On top of that, less than 20% of
these students said staff intervened most or all the time when they overheard a
homophobic comment at school.

Dive Insight:

It's not news that bullying and harassment are significant problems in schools, and
members of the LGBTQ community often face harassment and bullying because of their
gender or sexual identities. Students who are bullied can face severe physical,
emotional and social issues, including depression and anxiety; shifted eating or sleeping
patterns; lower academic achievement, lower attendance, a greater likelihood of
dropping out of school, and drug or alcohol abuse, according to Stopbullying.gov. The
GLSEN report found that nearly 20% of LGBTQ students said they changed schools
because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable, and more than one-third of them missed at
least one school day in the last month because they didn't feel safe.

Schools have been working to prevent bullying and implement protective measures to
help students through these issues. The Center for Academic, Social and Emotional
Learning says social-emotional learning (SEL) programs can be an effective way to
lower the likelihood that bullying will take place, because the ideas it promotes
contradict those associated with bullying and other negative interactions with

26
peers. Widespread awareness has additionally been drawn to the issue with October
being deemed National Bullying Prevention Month.

To an extent, school districts are legally obligated to step in when bullying takes place
or to shield students from it in the first place. In addition to protections under federal
law, 20 states and the District of Columbia have anti-bullying or anti-discrimination laws
in place that explicitly protect LGBTQ students, according to the University of California
Los Angeles School of Law's Williams Institute. Some suggest that recent policy
decisions at the federal level made LGBTQ students more susceptible to bullying and
harassment. In February 2017, the Trump administration moved to withdraw Obama-era
protections for transgender students who, under the policy, could use bathrooms and
facilities in public schools that corresponded to their gender identity. The "Dear
Colleague" letter also said schools had to quickly respond to harassment of transgender
students and use students' preferred gender on school paperwork. It's possible that
the "Trump effect" is contributing to higher bullying among the general student body in
Republican districts, and it's likely that this includes students who are members of the
LGBTQ community as well.

It's in schools' interests to not only protect the general student body, but to also it's also
make sure that those students who might be more vulnerable to bullying and
harassment are properly shielded. School leaders can ensure that teachers are having
conversations with students about empathy and about tolerating multiple viewpoints
respectfully. They can also work with staff members and student leaders to create an
inclusive school climate so that the frequency of these events declines and all students
feel they have a welcoming place to learn.

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 X.

Emelina Minero ( 2018). Schools Struggle to Support LGBTQ Students. U.S.A.

https://www.edutopia.org

Schools Struggle to Support LGBTQ Students

Pinning Roddy Biggs against a locker, a student whaled on him, giving him a
black eye, fracturing his eye socket, and bruising his ribs. It wasn’t a lone
incident for Biggs, who came out as gay to his Tennessee high school when he
was a freshman.

“I didn’t really do the best in school because of it,” recalls Biggs, now 23, who
says homophobic slurs, death threats, and shoves were commonplace. “I had
depression and panic attacks and all that stuff along the way.”

Biggs can still remember the teachers who ignored the bullying or simply said,
“That’s not cool,” and walked away. But there were also the educators who
tried to help, like the science teacher who took him to the principal’s offi ce
after he was beaten and sat with him for more than an hour during class time.
Oftentimes, though, the best efforts of teachers were stymied by district or
state regulations that stopped them from doing much more.

Most of the educators wanted to help, but did not know how or were limited in
what they could do,” says Biggs, referring to Tennessee’s lack of legislation
preventing the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or

28
questioning (LGBTQ) students. Tennessee is one of 32 states tha t do not have
such protections in place.

From cyberharassment to physical violence, bullying is a serious problem for

many schools, but bullying LGBTQ students in particular is more likely to be
ignored or mishandled by staff, according to recent research.

The researchers surveyed nearly 2,500 teachers and students across the
country and found that teachers were less comfortable intervening with bullying
due to sexual orientation and gender identity than with bullying based on race,
ability, and religion. And while 83 percent of educators felt that they should
provide a safe environment for their LGBTQ students —by displaying visible
symbols of support or disciplining students for using homophobic language, for
example—only half had taken action to do so, according to the Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), an organization that helps K–12
schools create safe environments for LGBTQ students.

This lack of support for LGBTQ students stems from a variety of causes.

Some teachers reported feeling uncomfortable talking to their students about

sexuality due to their beliefs or perceptions about what’s appropriate —often
conflating sexual orientation with sex—while others felt pressure from
administrators or parents to keep tight-lipped. And a lack of professional
development on how to address LGBTQ issues and bullying has left teachers
ill-equipped to establish LGBTQ-inclusive cultures or to identify anti-LGBTQ
behaviors and harassment. Meanwhile, the emergence of highly politicized
issues like allowing transgender students to use bathrooms aligned with their
identity has raised the LGBTQ profile nationally, but made constructive
dialogue harder.

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T H E N E E D F O R T R AI N I N G
For Loretta Farrell Khayam, a high school math teacher in Northern Virginia,
the hesitation to support LGBTQ students reflects a simple lack of training.

“We’ve had no guidance from administration on how to handle students

transitioning,” said Khayam, who wants to help a transgender student at her
school. “I’m not a young, hip teacher. I don’t know what to say or do. It would
be nice to hear from our administration—both school and district level—what
we as a school and a school system will do to support these students.

While there has been an increased interest in training educators on topics like
inherent bias and equity and inclusion, these trainings often do not include
LGBTQ issues because most school systems aren’t requesting it, according to
educators and advocacy groups. And when teachers have asked for training,
some report that they’ve faced reluctance from administrators who said they
need to focus on other priorities.

Melissa Joy Bollow Tempel said she encountered pushback when she wanted
to start including professional development on gender identity in the training
she provided as a culturally responsive teacher-leader in the Milwaukee Public
Schools district. Bollow Tempel had to go outside the district to receive training
herself, and her offers to share what she had learned were repeatedly resisted.

Even within the 18 states with anti-bullying laws aimed at protecting both
sexual orientation and gender identity, and within “blue bubbles” like California,
both discomfort and neglect are common, according to Vincent Pompei,
director of the Youth Well-Being Project at the Human Rights Campaign, the
largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the U.S. Pompei noted that
attendees at a recent training in Southern California couldn’t differentiate
sexual orientation from gender identity.

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S T U D E N T S T AU G H T AN L G B T Q - I N C L U S I V E C U R R I C U L U M
“Educators still have a tremendous amount of worry around LGBTQ inclusion —
they fear parent or community pushback, and are uncertain if they’d be
supported by school or district leadership if they took action,” Pompei sa id.
“We say students need to see visible signs of a safe space, but educators also
need to know that their administration supports them and will have their back if
a parent or community member with anti-LGBTQ views complains.”

A V O I D AB L E S T R U G G L E S
When LGBTQ students feel the lack of staff support at school, the impact can
be substantial.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students are two to three times as likely to be
bullied as non-LGBTQ peers, and they’re more likely to miss school and almost
five times as likely to attempt suicide—the number is even higher
for transgender people—according to a major survey of 15,600 high school
students by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another study
found that bullied lesbian, gay, and bisexual students reported higher levels of
substance abuse and risky behaviors than heterosexual students who were
bullied.

S T U D E N T S H E AR I N G B I AS E D L AN G U AG E AT S C H O O L

My middle school didn’t have any procedures, and my teachers didn’t know
what to do,” reflects Miles Sanchez, a ninth -grade bisexual and transgender
student in Colorado. Sanchez says he repeatedly went to administrators to ask
them to establish policies to protect LGBTQ students from bullying. “I feel like
a lot of my struggles could have been avoided if educators were trained in
dealing with bullying for all types of students,” he said.

The problem is not restricted to students.

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Teachers like Hanan Huneidi, a 7th- through 12-grade teacher for at-risk
students in the Bay Area, California, says she feels that if she includes LGBTQ
content in her lessons, staff and students assume she’s trying to push a
particular agenda because she’s gay. Huneidi says she has at times avoided
the topic because she doesn’t always want to “automatically be the
representative of all gay things.”

Last year, a frustrated Huneidi told colleagues they needed to “carry the torch
too” in disciplining students for using homophobic hate language, which is
against school rules.

C R E AT I N G A S A F E S P AC E
To address the need for more awareness, organizations like Gender
Spectrumand History UnErased are providing professional development and
support for K–12 classrooms. Resources provided by these organizations
include lesson plans, workshops, and guides.

And some districts, like the Madison Metropolitan School District in Madison,
Wisconsin, are embedding professional development directly into their schools.
The district has a staff social worker in charge of LGBTQ -specific staff training
and family support, and last year the district adopted the LGBTQ professional
development program Welcoming Schools.

As part of the program, district staff members—including school psychologists,

social workers, and teachers—received training so they can coach their
colleagues on topics like embracing family diversity and preventing bias -based
bullying. The district also hosts parent and student panels to share LGBTQ
students’ experiences with staff, and community events, like readings of
children’s books with LGBTQ characters.

But according to LGBTQ advocates, it doesn’t take a top -down approach to

make a difference in students’ lives—help can come from a single educator.

32
Sometimes it’s as simple as putting up safe space signs, or a sign that says a
classroom or school is welcoming of all identities; reprimanding a student who
uses the phrase “that’s so gay”; or reading a book with an LGBTQ protagonist.
Small changes from one person can often lead t o bigger ones from more.

Dan Ryder, a teacher at Mount Blue High School in Farmington, Maine, said
he’s personally seen change happen slowly over the nearly two decades that
he’s worked at his school. He remembers the days of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and
the widespread use of homophobic slurs. Now, he says, students in the
school’s tech program are making signs to affix to new gender -neutral
bathrooms of their own accord.

“I’m doing my best to show them that even though I may be a straight, cis,
married white male, we are all fairly complex beings that change over time and
have experiences that may unite us more than we realize,” he says of his own
efforts to help students. “Often we just need someone to say, ‘Hey, you are
who you are. I get it. It’s OK by me. And I want to be helpful to you in whatever
way that means for you.’”

33