LGBTQ+ Youth

Farrah Martin and Samantha Hernandez

EDCS 551: Legal and Ethical Issues
Dr. Ligia Hallstrom
School of Education, Concordia University Irvine
April 13th, 2023
CURRENT Issues and Challenges

Bullying Exclusion
Harassment/Assault Social Bullying
Verbal Bullying Rumors
Physical Bullying Public ridicule
Cyber bullying Social Isolation
(OHCHR, 2019)

How to respond when…

Others engage in heterosexual talk.
They hear anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
Others learn and begin to treat them differently.
Wanting to come out.
(Ni, 2021)
Laws
Relating to LGBTQ+

The FAIR Education Act

The California Healthy

Youth Act
 The FAIR Education Act
What is it? Effects
● Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful ● Bullying goes down
● Senate Bill 48 ● Greater feeling of safety
● Provides inclusion of many groups ● Better engagement with school
contributions in History
● Changes now include contributions and roles of
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
americans
● Changes now include prohibitions of materials
that reflect adversly to sezual orientation
● Changes now include adopting materials that
“accurately portray the cultural and racial
diversity of our society.”

(CADE, 2022) (Our Family Coalition, 2018)

 The California Healthy Youth Act
What is it? Effects
● Integrated, comprehensive,and accurate sexual ● Representation
education and HIV prevention education ● Reduce risk behavior
● All instruction and material must be inclusive ● Support positive sexual health outcomes
of LGBTQ+ students ● Appropriately addressed
● When providing examples: sexual orientations,
same same sex relationships
● Instruction includes: gender, gender expression, 85% of parents supported at the
gender identity and harm of negative
stereotypes highschool level
○ Teaching what LGBTQ means 78% of parents supported at the
● Protect sexual and reproductive health from middle school level
unintended pregnancy, HIV and STIs

(CADE, 2022) (Human RIghts Campaign, n.d)

California’s FAIR Education Act
 Applying The FAIR Education Act and The California Healthy Youth Act as a School Counselor

Students rely on school counselors and are often students’ first resource for addressing social/ emotional issues,
particularly regarding relationships and identity (Stone, 2017).

School counselors advocate for equitable policies, practices, and attitudes embracing equity in opportunities and
access to resources for all students and colleagues (ASCA).

LGBTQ individuals are one of the only cultural minority groups to typically grow up in families outside of their cultural
group. Often there are only few, if any, LGBTQ men or women visibly available to aid these youth in learning how to cope
with the societal realities of having a marginalized sexual or gender identity. The fear of stigmatization and fear of
rejection negatively affects both the student’s home and school life (Stone, 2017).
Counselors Can. . .

- Maintain an Open Door Policy

- Ensure students are being called by their preferred pronouns

- Host a faculty meeting to inform staff about laws

- Inform students and parents of classes and resources that are available to them
 “Until we get equality in
education, we won’t have an
equal society.”
— Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of
the Supreme Court of the United States
RESOURCES
The school counselor and gender equity. The School Counselor and Gender Equity - American School Counselor Association (ASCA).
(n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Gen
der-Equity

Frequently asked questions: Senate bill 48. Frequently Asked Questions: Senate Bill 48 - Curriculum Frameworks & Instructional
Materials (CA Dept of Education). (2022, November 3). https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/senatebill48faq.asp

The inclusion of LGBT people in education settings of paramount importance to "leaving no one behind". OHCHR. (2019, October 2).
https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2019/10/inclusion-lgbt-people-education-settings-paramount-importance-leaving-no-one

LGBTQ youth need inclusive sex education. Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.).
https://www.hrc.org/resources/a-call-to-action-lgbtq-youth-need-inclusive-sex-education

Ni, P. (2021, February 21). 10 challenges LGBTQ students face in schools. Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/202102/10-challenges-lgbtq-students-face-in-schools

Our Family Coalition. (2018, May 5). Making History: Our Family Coalition and the FAIR Education Act. [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZHNXYnmfU&t=200s

Stone, C. (2017). Ethics and Law. Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association. ISBN: 978-1-929289-50-9

Supporting LGBTQ+ students. Supporting LGBTQ+ Students - Educator Excellence (CA Dept of Education). (2022, November 2).
https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ee/supportlgbtq.asp

YouTube. (2018, May 15). Making history: Our family coalition and the Fair Education act. YouTube. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZHNXYnmfU&t=67s