Why Kids Need to Learn about Gender & Sexuality:
Overview
The stress and stigma of being a sexual orientation or gender identity minority might raise developmental risks for children and teens who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, asexual, or intersex. Concerns about bullying in schools, as well as schools that do not completely meet the educational requirements of children and teenagers who are sexual or gender minorities, or who are questioning their sexual and gender identities, are all too frequent. Truancy, dropping out, or being driven out of school occurs often among sexual and gender minority children and teenagers.
The resolution requests:
Promoting school policies that are safe and supportive for all children and youth.
Protecting the right to privacy around sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity for children and youth in schools.
Collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
Developing anti-bullying efforts within schools.
Developing programs to increase school engagement for sexual orientation and gender identity minority children and youth.
Increasing access to facilities and programs for youth and children based on their gender identity, not their assigned gender.
While the issues addressed in this resolution affect sexual orientation and gender identity minority children and youth in schools around the world (e.g., stigma, stress, bullying, and a lack of support), they speak more directly to the lived experiences and needs of sexual orientation and gender identity minority children and youth in the United States. For example, the resolution’s descriptions of group identities and other terminology, as well as the literature cited, represent the realities that sexual orientation and gender identity minority children and youth face in the United States; they may not apply to those living in other sociocultural contexts. As a result, the purpose of this resolution is primarily to inform and support the school-based practice of psychologists, counselors, and other mental health professionals who work with children and teenagers who are sexual orientation or gender identity minorities.